Chapter 3

Duo sat on his bunk, reading the news email he had just printed out from the computer. He dripped milk on the page from his cereal bowl, and impatiently blotted it out, eager to read a small article, which, to an ex-Gundam pilot, was extremely interesting.

The citizens of 6743-2 Colony, in the L3 cluster, are enjoying an extremely unexpected span of peace. While other Colonies have been having trouble fighting the continually rising crime and theft, 6743-2 seems to be having no trouble at all.

We spoke to the chief police officer yesterday, asking him how they did it, when L3 was easily one of the busiest and bustling Colonies. "Well, you see," said Srg. Mel Adams, slightly sheepish. "We're not really sure how it's working. See, every few days these notes show up on our bulletin board, givin' us whereabouts to a criminal or murderer. An', ever since the first one, we have found 'em each and every time. So you see, all we do is follow instructions."

The notes seem to be coming from a very mysterious "Shadow," as the officers around the station have begun to call the hidden informer. Though every letter has been checked for DNA, hair samples, and fingerprints, nothing has been found. "Evidently," says CSI official Robert Mullingham. "The person doing this is a professional, someone who knows his stuff. If he keeps up at this pace, we'll probably never find out who our crime-fighter is."

Though many people have suggested everything from retired police officers to Gundam pilots –

Duo swallowed hard.

everyone agrees that we owe this mysterious messenger a great thanks. Not a crime has been committed in 6743-2 in the past two years where the criminal escaped. Police have found the criminals everywhere from the top of the buildings to behind the water ducts at the weather station, and every single one of them has been bound and gagged. Every single one of them says they do not remember who tied them up and hid them for the police. "Or maybe they just won't say," remarks Adams thoughtfully. "Maybe our messenger scares them enough to make them stay silent. I don't know," he says with a shrug, "and maybe I never will."

For now, Adams says that they will continue interrogating the criminals and someday, hopefully, the messenger of peace will be found.

Relena read the article for the sixth time, her face and blue eyes completely unreadable. The pilots watched her anxiously, fearing her reaction. Duo had gone straight to Quatre after reading the article, who had shown Wufei and Trowa, and, together, they had gone to find Relena. Here, dressed in jeans and a white tank top, she sat at the edge of her bed and read it again.

The pilots glanced at each other, and each knew the others were thinking the exact same thing: Heero.

Relena finished the small article and laid it on the bed carefully before looking up at the pilots.

"Well?" Duo said impatiently after a moment of silence.

"Well what?" Relena asked innocently, her face still an expressionless mask.

"Woman!" yelled Wufei. "Do not fool with us! We know who that is, we know the only man in the world who would be able to pull something like that off! You know it, too! Heero is definitely able – "

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Relena said, interrupting. "You guys think this 'mysterious messenger' is Heero?"

Quatre was suddenly uncomfortable. "I think it is," he said quietly. "We've all agreed that Heero is capable of incredibly unbelievable things, and this is definitely one of those things."

Relena shook her head. "Guys, it can't be Heero. Why in the world would he want to spread peace around – " Quite suddenly, her mouth closed with an audible snap.

Quatre said quickly, "What's the matter?"

Relena opened her mouth to reply, when suddenly –

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP BEEP-BEEP!

She swallowed and said, "Message, guys. I'll get it."

They let her through.

Relena walked down the hall, shaking her head. It was absolutely incredulous, she decided, that they thought it could be Heero. Even more incredulous that she would decide to show up at this moment…Relena flipped on the input computer and carelessly glanced over the message, knowing it was information from Hilde.

Suddenly, she screamed, "Duo! Guys! Get in here!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He strode through the Colony's streets calmly, his long legs carrying him quickly down the sidewalk. So many times he had walked down this road…he felt as though he could walk it in his sleep. The elderly lady and her husband were walking their dog again, about a half-block ahead of him. He could help but give a little smile inwardly as he watched them holding hands, their old Labrador trotting beside them happily.

He shook himself, angry for letting himself show his emotions. He was a soldier still, and even if a war wasn't going on, he could still work to prevent one. His face a mask, he turned into a back alley and finished the last part of the walk to his small apartment.

The TV was on; he had left in a hurry, eager to check out a recent report that he had received in an email. It had proved false, however, and he hurried back to the slight comfort his apartment could give him.

The living room was just how he had left it; he was usually quite clean and neat, kind of like one of his old comrades. Sighing, he switched off the TV and retired to his room.

He pushed to open the door, but found that it wouldn't open. His hard muscles strained as he pushed with all his might, and slowly the door slid open.

He stepped inside his room, and found it completely ransacked.

What little he owned was spread everywhere; his bed was overturned, the blankets and sheets ripped off, pillows torn open. His chest-of-drawers was upended, with all his clothes thrown onto the floor and the drawers pulled out, along with the pockets off all his jeans searched thoroughly. His desk was lying carelessly on the floor, one leg broken off, and the contents of the drawers thrown everywhere. The closet was an absolute mess; the door was hanging by a single hinge, swinging crazily back and forth. He turned around and found that his chair had been propped up against the door so as not to let him in, and a note was lying on the ground where it had fallen off the broken chair.

He picked it up and read the words, then, his face a mask, went instantly to the pack he always wore with him and pulled out his laptop computer. Ignoring the mess around him, he opened up one of his many email accounts and typed furiously.

After clicking the "Send" button, he immediately destroyed the account and terminated the server detector. Then, he shoved the laptop back in the pack, without a word picked up his jacket, and left the apartment.

The note lay on the ground, its hastily scribbled words written in blood-red ink:

We know you didn't destroy the Gundams, and we want them now. Since we didn't find the information in your pathetic little apartment, we shall have to look elsewhere. I hear the leader of the Gundam pilots had a wonderfully famous little friend by the name of Relena Peacecraft…

Come to the corner of Seventh and Walden on L3 2491-5 a week from now at six o’clock – with the information - if you ever want to see her alive again.

We're watching you, Yuy. Don't try anything stupid, or she and the rest of your little friends will die.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Zechs Merquise stared at the computer screen, completely aghast at what he was seeing. "LUCREZIA!" he bellowed. "Get in here now!"

In a flash, his wife dashed into the room, breathing heavily. "Sheesh!" she cried. "I was talking to Une about a serious problem that's come up with a Preventer computer…what's the matter?"

In reply, Zechs jabbed a finger at the computer screen. Lucrezia stepped over, read the email, and her mouth fell open.

Zechs began pacing, his breath coming heavily. "After seven years, he decides to show his face and threaten me. Seven years! After seven years of nothing but silence and hiding, he comes to me saying that my little sister, Queen of the World, is going to be kidnapped! As if he thinks I would trust him after all these years! My sister, kidnapped, when no single attempt has been made on her life for…"

Lucrezia let her husband's voice fade of her mind as her mouth closed and formed into a smile. She read the email again:

To firewind from zero one

She'll be kidnapped

They want the whereabouts of the hawds

Apartment ransacked

I'll be at your house at 1200

Don't let her out of your sight

Or you'll pay

Heero Yuy was back in action again!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hilde typed furiously, her tired eyes scanning the computer screen for any mention of a brown-haired, blue-eyed pilot maybe working as a mechanic. She scrolled down the page furiously, but she found no mention of Heero.

Rubbing her eyes, Hilde sighed and sat back. She'd been working for four hours straight, and had already taken two Tylenol tablets for her headache. Shaking her head, Hilde reminded herself that this couldn't be good for the baby, but she really couldn't help it. Everyone's future could depend on any information she could find on the whereabouts of Heero Yuy.

However, the headache was quickly turning into a migraine, and she knew she couldn't continue without a rest. Hilde reached up to flip the computer off, but before she could, a new message flashed across the screen.

Schbeiker:

Another plot has formed

They want the hawds and her

I'm coming there

Be at Zech's place today at 1200

This is serious

-Zero One

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sally finished her daily routine of stretches and practices, ending with a high jump kick that nearly killed her already tired thighs. She collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily but smiling. At least she could still do these exercises without feeling stupid now. Watching Wufei do them had pushed her to ask him if he could teach her the routine, and with a few woman-related insults, he did. Now, the exercise was almost exciting for her…especially since she was now pregnant.

She hadn't told Wufei or anyone else – and she'd meant to call Relena, but she'd left with Wufei and the rest of the Gundam pilots yesterday morning. As Sally drank down a bottle of water, she decided she'd call Hilde and tell her. Hilde, out of all people, would understand the most. Wufei would probably scream about injustice and women and curse the whole world before he got excited.

Grabbing another water bottle, Sally picked up the phone and dialed Hilde's number. The phone rang three times before Hilde answered it.

"Hello?" Hilde's voice sounded hurried and strained.

"H-hey, Hilde," Sally began uncertainly. "It's Sally."

Hilde gasped. "Oh, Sally, I can't talk right now. This is important. Don't ask questions, just check your mail. I guarantee you'll have something extremely important. I'll call you later, after I get a hold of Zechs. Bye!"

And before Sally could reply, Hilde hung up the phone.

Feeling grumpy, Sally went to the computer and flipped it on. Sure enough, the words "NEW MESSAGE" flashed across the screen. She clicked on the words, and then gasped as the read the message that instantly popped up.

Po-

Another plot, this time for her and the hawds

Urgent, no time for arguments

Believe me, it's real

I'll be at Zechs' place today at noon

Be there

-Zero One

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rebecca Barton held the last note on the piano beautiful, ending the song with a happy smile. She loved the play the piano, and she and Trowa sounded wonderful together. Rebecca stood up, stretched, and glanced at the clock.

Nearly nine o'clock in the morning.

Rebecca walked into the kitchen, fixing herself a small snack. On the refrigerator she caught a glimpse of her and Trowa's wedding day, hidden behind a picture of a grinning Duo and a smiling Hilde. Trowa was alight with happiness, and he showed more emotion that day "than he ever did slicing people apart on the battlefield," Duo had said once.

Rebecca smiled. Quatre, her second cousin, had set her and Trowa up one evening when she came to visit, and they had hit it off right away. She loved him dearly now, and had joined what Quatre liked to call the "Gundam circle," consisting of the five pilots, their wives, and Relena.

Rebecca had just sat down to eat when the vidcam rang. She stood up with a sigh, tucking a stray lock of fiery red hair behind one ear as she pressed the "Receive" button.

Hilde appeared on the screen, looking extremely tense. Without a greeting, she said immediately, "Becca, check your computer immediately. No time for talk, I have to get a hold of Duo. See you tomorrow at noon."

Without another word, Hilde flipped off her vidcam.

Rebecca stood there for a moment, astounded and surprised, then decided to follow instructions. She went to the computer, and sure enough, it was flashing "NEW MESSAGE." Her eyes widened as she read the new email.

Becca and Catalonia-

She's going to be kidnapped, they want the Hawds

Be at Zech's place at 1200

My place has been ransacked

This is serious

See you tomorrow

-Zero One

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Duo tore out of his room, Wufei and Quatre at his heels. Joined by Trowa, they dashed down to the computer. As they entered, Duo's heart gave a jolt as he saw Relena, deathly white, staring at the computer. Hearts pounding, the Gundam pilots advanced.

What they saw on the screen shocked them all into silence.

Shenlong, Deathscythe, Heavyarms and Sandrock:

There's been another plot.

My place has been ransacked.

Don't let her out of your sight.

I'll be at Zechs today, then I'm leaving to get rid of them. Don't follow me.

They want the hawds.

BB: 120ZPTOM.

Stay alert, and be careful.

-Zero One

Amid the stunned silence, Duo managed to rasp out, "Uh, guys? I think Heero's back in business."

________________________________________________________________________