Man, this thing should be wrapped up in a couple of more chapters! I didn't realize I'd gotten this far in it. I'm excited
AN2: This chapter is very high in Christian content. This is rated PG-13.
Surely as the Sun
Chapter Eight
?What do you mean we?re going in now??
Duo shoved his hands into his pockets as he followed Une through the hallways in Preventor?s. Several officers were following in line as she argued back at him, gripping her cell phone harshly. She held up her other hand in Duo?s face as she held the phone closer to her ear, shushing him. He immediately stopped as he watched the concern begin to wash over her face, her eyes widening the longer she listened. A choking sound began in her mouth before she held it back, then immediately rubbed her eyes as they began to water and redden. She leaned against the wall and Duo turned to the other officers and dismissed them, then took Une by the shoulder and guided her towards her office door as she hung up the phone. She sat down mechanically into her office chair and stared into space for several moments.
?Commander?? he asked quietly, leaning over her table and staring her in the eye. She suddenly snapped out of her trance and looked up at him, confused for a moment, before hardening her expression.
?Yes we?re going in now, Agent Maxwell. Elliot Benja is still in a coma and Alexei Patrenko?s security will be at a disadvantage in space while they are at the girl?s camp in the colonies. Half of them are still back at the plant.?
?But, ma?am, Heero just got here. He still doesn?t remember everything. You don?t think we should have a little more time to prepare???
?That is enough!? She yelled, slamming her hands down on the table. Duo glared at her and threw his hands in the air, making his way to the door.
?You have no idea how this mission has jeopardized the stability of my marriage, of my life, of my unborn child! I?d like to go to the hospital and check on my pregnant wife and let her know that I?m not dead, Commander! Surely you must understand what that is like. That must constitute some time away from this for me!?
Her eyes softened for a moment as she mulled his words over in her head, before she looked down at the table.
?I understand your request. However, there is some new information that has made the timing in this mission dire??
She looked sullenly up at him for a moment, placing her thumb along her chin and tapping her lips with her index finger, before glancing down at a file on her desk. She sighed and looked back up at him.
?There will be a briefing in my office in one hour, and when we are through, we will have one night to prepare. Tomorrow morning we are going in to space. Do you understand??
?Yes, ma?am.?
?Be back in my office in one hour, Duo.?
---
Relena growled in frustration as the phone in her office rang for the fifth time in the last ten minutes, slamming the paper she had been holding in her hand down on the desk.
?Leave me alone leave me alone leave me ALONE!? she yelled, picking up the phone and shutting it back down on the receiver. Why was it that every time she sat down in her office everyone decided they suddenly needed her for something?
Pinching her brow, she sat up from her desk and made her way over to the pictures lining her walls. Several certificates were framed, including her degrees from the online classes she had been taking for the past several years. Half of the things she didn?t even remember. Where exactly did certification in exotic animal rescue come into play in politics, anyway?
She continued side-stepping along the walls. She needed a break. Seriously. Having overcome her nervous breakdown was one of the hardest things she?d ever had to do, but overcoming the guilt of what had happened as a result of her disinterest still haunted her every waking moment. Heero was proof of that.
He had seemed so withdrawn when they found him. Like he didn?t recognize any of them but couldn?t quite let go of a deeper connection with her. That had to mean something. When she had seen him in the marketplace a few weeks ago, something had returned to her conscience? some feeling that her mind had locked away during her breakdown because of the confusion and pain it brought her in remembering. But then that wild, almost tangible look in his eyes shocked something in her, bringing with it an asthma attack and some of the most wonderful, terrible bittersweet thoughts.
She had loved him from the moment she had seen his face on that beach years ago. It was like the way the Earth?s axis would always tilt in accordance with the orbit, or the way the stars would shine on the nights when you needed them the most. She could never escape from the ache that she felt when she thought of being without him. She had locked herself away from it during her recovery, but then he had seen her?
And then this morning, when he had come barging into the ladies? shower, that concerned anger burning in his eyes ? he had remembered, too. Perhaps Heero had never loved her, but he had loved what she stood for, evidenced by the countless times he had laid down his life and sacrificed for peace. Her sub-conscious kept attempting to make her think that there was something more there, but she forced herself to ignore the thoughts. She couldn?t let herself get caught up on the what-if?s, especially during a crisis like this. In the end it would possibly lead her back into her depression, and she would be of no use like that.
?I probably wouldn?t come out of it again, either.? She mumbled to herself, making her way back over to her desk. A knock resounded at her door, followed by Duo barging in.
?Where the heck have you been? I?ve been calling for the past fifteen minutes! Une?s got a mandatory meeting in her office in five.? He said, then shut the door quickly behind him. Relena smiled slightly. Ever since Duo had rekindled things with Hilde, that light-heartedness had returned to his spirit. And then when he had found out Hilde was pregnant, the joy that she had sensed in him ? it was contagious. She found herself smiling bigger then she had smiled in a long, long time.
If Hilde could get pregnant, maybe there was a cure. Maybe one day she?d be able to have children, too.
---
Quatre looked nervously around the room as everyone filed into Une?s office. Dorothy stood behind him with her hand on his shoulder reassuringly, but he could not quell the feeling in his gut that something was terribly wrong. He placed his hand over hers for a moment and gave her a smile, but she only stared toward the front of the room at Une, focused. He doubted she even realized she had her hand on his shoulder.
?Don?t be afraid, Dorothy. Everything is going to work out.? He said. She spared him a small smile as she lifted the corner of her mouth in that devious way of hers, then glanced over at Heero. He was leaning against the wall in the corner of the room directly behind Relena, the shadows covering most of him, but his blue eyes shining eerily through the shade. Dorothy eyed him warily.
?I have called everyone in on this meeting so abruptly because I have just received an emergency phone call from Mariemeia. I realize that everyone is exhausted, but I?m afraid we?ve been dealt a hand we weren?t quite expecting, and our timeline has just shortened.?
She glanced around the room once more, before setting her cell phone on speaker and placing it in the center of her office table. After a few moments, sounds of running through hallways could be heard on the phone, followed by scraping noises. There were a set of about three people trying to scale the hallways quietly, but heavy breathing could still be heard as they ran.
?Mom,? Mariemeia?s voice broke through the quiet, even though she was whispering as softly as she could. Une stared blankly at the phone, her mind somewhere else. ?Alexei has come here earlier then expected. He?s locked the plant down and threatened to shoot and kill anyone who refuses to cooperate. They?re?? She began, but then stopped abruptly as a noise was heard in the background. She waited a few moments before continuing. ?They?re injecting something into the girls one at a time and waiting on the results before they continue on to the next. They?re having seizures, mom. Two girls have died from complications??
Dorothy?s grip on Quatre?s shoulder tightened painfully as her eyes grew slightly wider. She was staring at the phone like she wanted to murder it.
?They have a lot of guards with a lot of guns. Trowa managed to sneak me out with Kale?s help, but I don?t know how much longer we?re going to be able to hide??
A whizzing sound resounded suddenly on the phone, followed by an explosion. Several bodies hitting the ground coincided with guards shouting out orders, and then heavy breathing as someone grabbed the phone and began to run, but then stopped abruptly.
?Trowa??
A few seconds ticked by as Mariemeia began to walk somewhere slowly, then began speeding up.
?There she is! Grab her!?
?Oh God, Trowa!?
Someone fumbled with the phone as several grappling noises were heard, before the phone hit the ground with a loud crack.
Une glanced around the room cautiously. Quatre, Wufei, Duo, and Heero all had the same look on their faces ? that sense of self-sacrificing obligation that came with being a soldier.
?I don?t think this needs any more explanation. I have issued an order to all Preventor?s personnel to be ready to leave here at 0500. You four will be our hands and feet ? we will need to do this as stealthily as possible. I do not want to involve those girls in an all-out manhunt between Alexei?s guards and our officers. I want you four to overtake him by working together. Heero,? She turned towards him, and he stepped out from the shadows with his arms crossed over his stomach. ?You will be the one to take him out. You are the fastest. Dorothy will accompany you. Alexei still doesn?t realize that she has leaked out any information. He still believes she?s on his side. She will provide a distraction.? He nodded curtly. Dorothy glanced at him for a moment, before nodding at Une herself.
?You are dismissed.?
---
He couldn?t sleep.
He jerked the covers off of himself and sat up in bed, the naked upper half of his body immune to the chill night air. He had started remembering the things he?d done, the process of his transformation, and his body wasn?t adjusting very well to the amount of rest he?d been getting. They had been allowing him three hours a night at the chemical plant, and one of the benefits of the chemical was that he no longer needed the usual amount of sleep. But ever since he had come back here he hadn?t been able to take his mind off of her.
In about four hours he would be flying into outer space once more. Where he came from, where everything in his life had seemed to start and end back up at. But he had never felt at home in space. He only felt like he belonged here.
They were going to use him as a weapon once more in the morning. This time it was for the good of mankind ? once more, in a way, sacrificing his body to save the world. In the end it was a precise and belligerent reckoning for his mistakes, for the lives he?d taken in the name of peace. And for the lives he?d taken in the past few months simply because he was told to do so. But something in him had grown cold and ceased to live anymore inside of him ? some innocence he was never able to take claim to. Something he was able to ignore and move past, until she came into his life. Now he always ended up stuck in the same place, hoping that he could be forgiven of his sins, and yet hoping he could somehow be made worthy of it.
You?ll never be worthy of it.
He froze in surprise and looked around the room frantically. Nothing had been able to get past him since he had started this treatment. Not a sound, not a smell, not even a roach scrambling across the floor, yet the voice had spoken clearly as if directly into his ear.
?Who?s there??
There was no response. He grabbed his gun off the stand next to his bed and snaked lightly across the floor, meeting the wall of his apartment. He quickly ducked his head around the corner of the door and aimed the gun, but no one was there.
Some call me Healer.
?What the h ??
Others, Saviour. Deliverer. Comforter. Friend?
He looked around, confused. Surely he was dreaming. Or, perhaps, some side-effect of the chemical leaving his system. Hallucinations weren?t that uncommon, were they?
?Show yourself, if you?re real.? He said, looking around the room. Outside, it had begun to rain. He could hear it through the walls.
If I were to show myself to you in full glory, you would not be able to handle it. You would die.
He forced his body to relax and stuck the gun into the waste band of his pants, sitting back down onto the bed. There was something awing about the sound of that voice. Something that reminded him of?deep calling out to deep.
?What do you want??
I want you to know me.
?How can I know you if I can?t see you??
Believe in me.
The familiar words echoed loudly in the room, a mimic of his own request of Relena all those years ago. But how could he believe in a voice with nothing he could touch to prove its existence?
?My name is Heero Yuy. Gundam Pilot Zero One. I am a Preventor?s Officer and this is my apartment. I will focus on the mission objective and not be distracted by evident auditory exclamations brought on by stress and??
I know who you are. I knew you before you were formed in your mother?s womb.
He sat up and began to march around the room, burning holes into the walls with his eyes. This was ridiculous. He couldn?t possibly?
I have fashioned you for such a time as this, Heero. You have been called according to my purpose, and your steps are ordered.
?Are you trying to tell me that you?re God? That right now I?m having a real live conversation with God in my apartment bedroom? If you?re so real and mighty, where have you been all along? Growing up with no choice in becoming what I am, having no say in the things that have happened to make my life the way it has become ? where have you been all this time? How can I believe in you now??
There was a pause as the atmosphere quieted against his harsh words, the rise and fall of his voice no longer causing tension. The peace that had disappeared at his outburst began to filter back into the air the moment the voice began to speak.
Every good and perfect gift comes from me. The things that have happened in your life were done in an attempt by my enemy to snuff you out, to end your life before you came to know me. You have great things in you, and you were made to change the world. I allowed him to do those things in your life because they were necessary to bring you where you are right now. You have gone long enough without knowing me?
?Why are you telling me this now?!? He interrupted, staring angrily up at the walls. ?What kind of merciful, loving God let?s the world undergo a chemical war that leaves mankind infertile??
I AM LOVE!
The voice boomed throughout the room, rattling the hinges on his doorway. His laptop shook on the desk, his phone falling off the nightstand and crashing to the floor. He automatically covered his head with his arms, but after a couple of seconds, everything grew quiet once again.
I have loved you since the beginning of time. I?ve loved every moment of your life, every hair upon your head, every tear that has fallen from your eyes. I loved you enough to die for you so that your sins could be forgiven and so that I could someday hold you in my arms the way I?ve longed to all these years?
Some feeling was making its way through his stomach, up his chest and into his throat. It felt like it was closing on him, but he couldn?t find the words to say back. He could only stare at his hands.
When you give your heart to me, you become worthy of forgiveness by the blood that covers your sin. Come back to me, my love. Come back to me and let me heal your broken heart.
---
?How much time do we have?? Hilde whispered into his hair as he hugged her close to his chest, her fingers weaving patterns along his back. She was still in the hospital bed but looking much better now that he was back. The moment he had walked into the room she had burst into happy tears, reaching for him.
?I?m afraid we only have a few hours before I have to be back at the base, babe.? He said, sitting back. She continued to stroke him wherever she could touch ? his hands, his neck, his stomach. He seemed to drink her in with his eyes, an incomparable brightness lining their depths. ?Lena was able to convince him to come back, and he started remembering the moment he got back to Preventor?s. He?s remembering bits and pieces at a time, but mostly when it has something to do with her.?
?Did you try to talk him into coming back before she did? Is that how you got that?? she said, pointing at his bruised neck. He grinned sheepishly.
?Well, he made me angry.? He laughed, then got up and pulled a stretcher from the other side of the room right next to hers. She attempted to give him an annoyed look, but only succeeded for about a moment before she smiled up at him. He jumped over the side of the stretcher and laid next to her. He rubbed his fingers over her stomach gently, somber as he stared down at it.
?We?re going to have a baby.?
?Yeah.? She said, flashing a toothy smile at him. They both burst out into a fit of giggles.
---
The next morning, they all arrived at the shuttle landing at exactly 0500 hours. Duo yawned sleepily as Wufei walked past him and scowled, Preventor?s a madhouse around them. Une was busy yelling instructions at the top of the landing while Quatre and Dorothy were going over the blueprints of the girl?s camp. Heero was walking around in his space suit with his helmet in his hand as Une suddenly shouted out for everyone to board. Everyone began to make their way towards the opening in the shuttle that would be occupied by the officers, and to its side was a much smaller, stealthier plane. This would be what Heero, Duo, Wufei, Quatre and Dorothy would be sneaking into the compound in under the pretense of Dorothy visiting Alexei.
Heero reached down to snap open his helmet and put it on, but golden hair jutting out slightly from under a helmet caught his attention. A female officer was boarding the shuttle, but he sighed and ran over towards her, yanking off her helmet. Relena whirled around and glared at him.
?That hurt!? She said, rubbing her scalp. He stared incredulously at her.
?What are you doing, Relena??
?I?m going with you.? She said, determination in her voice.
?No, you?re not.? He said simply. They had been through this before. Une called out for Heero to hurry up, as everyone else had already boarded the shuttle and was waiting on him. She ducked back into the cavity of the open shuttle before sticking her head out and raising an eyebrow at who Heero was talking to, her back to Une.
?Relena, you?re not coming. It?s not safe.? She yelled, then ducked back in.
Relena placed her hands on her hips and glared at him as he began to walk away, but in mid-stride he stopped and turned back around towards her. Without giving her a chance to react, he grabbed the back of her head and pushed her forward, pressing her lips firmly to his. The complaint that had begun to issue forth out of her mouth was immediately silenced as he took her breath away, her eyes fluttering closed as he kissed her as hard as he could. There would be no helmet in the way this time.
Whistles and cat-calls from the direction of the stealth plain broke them out of their kiss, and she bowed her head as her face turned bright red. But Heero only looked at her openly and lifted her chin, her eyes wide as saucers.
?I?ve been wanting to tell you something.? He began, some kind of passion storming behind his eyes. ?The night I was taken, I had been planning on telling you this. I won?t let the opportunity pass me by again, Relena. I don?t know what?s going to happen after this mission. I know that the success rates are on our side, but I just need you to listen and know this.?
She nodded dumbly.
?My past is gone, unreachable, and I can?t live it out again. If I could, I wouldn?t change any of it, because it led me to you. All that I can give you are my moments like these. All that I can give you are my tomorrows, my dreams, my longing. This is what you are to me, what you mean. You are my redemption, my living proof that God is listening. Falling in love with you has determined, changed?sculptured me into who I am now. When I look at you, I see my future. I see what was once a futile hope come smashing its way through every expectation, through every disappointment. Relena Dorlian-Peacecraft, in the flesh, loving me for every reason that I could never and probably will never understand. And I also see that I could stay right where I am and never do anything else great in my life but love you, and still feel fulfilled. Still feel like I?m doing what I was meant to do all along.?
Her knees felt like jelly. Her breathing quickened slightly, and she placed her hand over her chest as her heart rate sped up. He loved her. He loved her too.
He reached up and placed a strand of hair behind her ear, and at his touch, she closed her eyes. The feeling of his lips against her eyelids calmed her as he kissed them both.
?Believe in me.? He whispered, and then he was walking away from her and on to the plane with the others. She could only stare after him.
---
Heero?s earpiece crackled to life as he switched in on. The five of them had arrived unnoticed on to the colony and in to the compound, all attention being diverted to the giant shuttle that contained Preventor?s officers. The five of them had made it inside the building and were scaling the walls as they heard guards shouting at several girls in the cafeteria, many of them crying. They had to hurry in and stop this before anymore of the girls were harmed under the procedure. If it was the same treatment that he had been given, they wouldn?t last very long?
?Heero.? Duo whispered, eyeing him through his helmet. ?It?s time for us to separate. Are you and Dorothy ready?? He turned around to face her, but she was staring at Quatre and whispering something in his ear. He looked at her oddly for a moment, and then kissed her hand. She smiled and then left his side to come stand beside Heero.
?I?m ready.? She said forwardly, an ominous effect to her voice that lingered as unusual in his mind. He had to quit trying to evaluate everything and get moving. He shook his head and gave a thumbs-up to Duo, and the four of them broke apart as Dorothy trailed behind him.
They continued walking quietly for several moments, but Dorothy was glancing around nervously.
?Can you hear something??
?No.? She snapped at him, glancing around her once more. ?I just know how Alexei is. He?s very thorough. He thinks that the more guards you have, the better. He is sneaky.?
?Must run in the family.? He said, and she glared at him, cocking a freakish eyebrow.
?Speaking of Alexei, how was my dear old half-brother?s treatment of you while you were in containment, Heero??
He ignored her as they turned a corner, turning around it swiftly and aiming his gun at anyone who could be standing there. He thought it odd that they had yet to come across any guards in these hallways, but he continued to ignore the feeling as oversensitivity.
?I hear he can be quite brutal. Especially considering that one of the side effects of directly injecting the chemical into a man is sterility.?
He stopped suddenly, his stomach dropping at the words.
He was sterile?
?They didn?t tell you?? She mocked concern, placing her hand over her mouth. ?Oh, that?s right. They haven?t evaluated you yet. I?m so sorry, Heero.?
He stared at the ground as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, something burning at the back of his eyes. How did she know??
?Do you know what the best part about all of this is?? She whispered into his ear, rubbing her fingers across his shoulder blades.
Pain shot through his pelvis as she jammed a needle directly over his hipbone. He jumped back from her and yanked it out, but he was on the ground and convulsing before he had time to realize what was going on. She stared down at him darkly.
?You?re not going to remember a single thing.?
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Keep up the good work! 
