Every Pilot's Plea, Let Crystalia Win

Quatre Arrives Back at the Colony

When he arrived at the shuttle, he saw one of his favorite maids there. She was always prepared for anything. "Thanks for waiting," he thanked her. "These two will . . .?" Oh. Oh, as he got closer, he felt something from her.

As he drew closer, he watched her duck her head and hold out a piece of paper.

"Sorry." No Master came from her as he collected the paper.

"Did someone threaten your family?" Was it like his doctor?

Quatre read the letter. "Your resignation." No. "They aren't here anymore." No. No. "Then what are you even sticking around here for?!" He watched her take off in a hurry. In his heart, he knew why she stuck around. She wanted him to know the truth. She even wrote it down for him. Of course, RTL did more than threaten his staff. They actually got on it years ago.

She wrote down how it was just supposed to be a way to keep their eyes on him. Orders changed later. Her identity information was hidden for undercover work. But, his degree of sympathy was vague at this point. Everything was a risk. I had to. I couldn't bring them all, but I couldn't leave without checking out the base. I couldn't. I just couldn't. I just couldn't!

He just stared at the ground. I know they are alive now. I have twins. I know their names, Zara and Amira. I know Dorothy was alive. But. Was it better knowing or worse? I'm sorry, but, please! Crystalia, please kill Superior! I beg of you. For the sake of my family, please win.

St. Gabriel's Institute

"Heero?" Relena heard a thud from the side of Sophia and Sora. She knew the babies were alright, so that left one that was not. "Heero, answer me."

"I'm right here." He didn't sound well.

"Heero, come over here." He wasn't taking it well. He had no idea what to do. He had no idea where she was at, and they were a lot closer than before they had their bump-ins in the past. She understood him better. What made him move. What made him stop. She even started to piece together, what happened to him. "I need comfort."

She heard him starting to move. Before he was even in view, she held her fingers out to the small screen. It covered up some of the screen, but it was important. He put his fingers up to it too. "So far, I have been fine. We need to concentrate on the moment. Search around on the extra gundam. Maybe there will be a clue on there." It would keep him from sinking. He needed something to do. "While doing that, make sure our twins feel comforted if they start to cry or get anxious. They take attention."

"I know," he said. "I studied."

Yes, she didn't doubt that. The emotions it took for Heero to understand things. One could not be subtle with him. Phrases of subtlety, of politeness, didn't always work the best. She used those to keep it easier for him after the twins were born.

Now was not the time for that. He did things directly. He took things directly. Even then, he didn't always listen, just like anyone else. But, for best results? Be direct and honest. Be both. "Always assume they want attention and comfort first, then figure out if that is it. Sophia is in red today, and Sora is in Green. Sophia mumbles more than Sora, but it's just mumbles so far. I miss you, Heero. Don't give up. Do the best you can do, and I will be proud of you. I miss having you in the bathroom with me. It feels lonelier as myself now. I miss your comfort too. I've missed you so much. Please get us through this."

He stared at her a second. "Sophia is in red today, and Sora is in green. I will comfort them first if they start to cry. I have less than three hours with you."

Oh. He knew something now.

"Quatre wants to make a deal, if Superior is killed. If not, this is the last time I will be talking with you. Relena."

Oh. I see. "I want you to make sure the children are safe, no matter how this ends."

"Yeah." He agreed to it, but he was so lost. He looked so lost. He was just staring straight through her as one of the children started to cry. "Comfort first." He picked up Sophia correctly, and patted what hair she had. She was fidgeting around, but Heero had a good hold on them.

No. You are not going to cry, Relena Dorlain. You are going to be strong. You have two hours left with Heero, and then your fate is unknown. "Straighten up. It'll be okay. We still have another option left. These last two hours can just be really nice hours between us." She smiled at him, trying to drive something good for him. Don't break, Heero. Don't break. This isn't over.

Middle of Nowhere Hangar

Trowa really had to do some digging to find it. It had to be in one place. There was nowhere around at the time, but there was a hangar built in the middle of nowhere. The middle of nowhere with No Name.

It was the grounds, the place where he could have shot her and ended her life for all the betrayal. He saw something different though, deep inside of her. That something became even more pronounced as she got older.

He went into the building and saw it. Heavyarms. He went over to the control panel. He didn't have very long. He got the camera and audio working. "Hello, Middie."

Middie noticed him. "Trowa."

"We might be able to help you," Trowa said to her. "If Crystalia kills Superior, she will make a deal with us. If she doesn't, this is the last time we will speak. Sorry."

"Alec?"

"He is gone too." Trowa looked at her. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. I deserve this. I deserve all of this."

"You aren't to blame for anything, anymore than I had been. It was all RTL." He tried again. "Do you blame me for it? I lined up the shot." She didn't answer. "Should I terminate my own life?"

"No, of course not!" She was passionate about that.

"Then think about why it's okay for you to think that," he said. "You are a good mother. You are a good friend," he added. "Even Quatre, no matter how upset he had been, had never laid any blame on either of us."

"How much longer?" she asked.

"Not much. Is there anything you want to say, just in case." He hated this. She had flipped her entire life around. She was living straight, and she was doing well. Fake smiles or not, she still had regular smiles too. She had a lot of passion inside that she couldn't keep away. It transformed into beauty, horror, reality, and wonderful. Some of her paintings that she had made, were so visceral. If your family hadn't been your responsibility, where would you have ended up? Not losing her mind in a gundam.

She didn't have anything else to say.

Whatever the deal is, I want it. Please let Crystalia win.

---

Wufei's Colony

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He checked the area around the explosion. He checked the area in her new colony that he could before he was escorted out. There wasn't much to see though, there were no buildings still. Time was almost up.

Not one thing. How could he find something personal to her, when the place she spent her whole life was gone? He checked in a couple of the places he had kept his gundam, but none of them were important hangars.

Nothing was important, and still there. Wherever they had stashed her? They shoved her somewhere unimportant. Just like they cursed her for no other reason then they had a similar name and circumstance to Nataku.

All he could do, is give her a moment in his mind. If Crystalia did not kill the one in charge, she would be as good as dead. The Zhang's should still be prospering. You should have married Zhang Li, never been accused of murder, or ever had to lower yourself to any standards to hide. All of this was because of something against me, and never you.

He took his sword and held it outright. I never brought you the justice you deserved. I shamefully thought this was almost over. The ending of that organization's official presence felt like enough. You were never even pregnant, they blew up your colony, what else could they possibly want?

He hadn't wished for someone to die this hard in so long. A battle that he could not help. He could not enter. A battle between two women, with no telling how each one would fair. All because of . . .

?! "I know where it is!" He stood up, but he realized he would never make it. He was in the colonies, and it was on Earth. His mother even told him where to watch out for.

Originally it would probably have something to do with the revenge, but it was a personal spot. Not at the time, he didn't care how he got his mission done. It would be a place to show how bitter, how uncaring he had been.

Victoria Base area. Then again? Maybe it wouldn't be. You must have left somewhere else. Somewhere besides our colonies. "I can't believe I have to say this. Win, Crystalia." They needed a deal. Otherwise? How was he supposed to ever get any kind of justice for her?

The old Junkyard's Colony

There was no time! No time for anything. Just enough time to say at least there was a chance for her! He tried to get there the fastest he could, and he ran the fastest he could down the fastest shortcut he could. Backyards, fences, a car would be too slow. Travel back and forth from the colonies used to take longer during the war, and it was risky to move from place to place with the different allegiances. It wasn't a simple half hour ride over, but you could move a lot faster.

Yet, it still wasn't fast enough.

When he hit that front door, he could still smell them. Their scent was stale, but still there. Nobody had been there at all, and the furniture they left behind was still there. He moved toward the hangar, didn't even bother to look at the gundam, just ran straight to the control panel.

He got in the camera and audio as fast as he could. "Hilde!"

There, her expression was surprised but happy. Probably feeling relieved. "Duo. I was hoping you could come soon. They haven't started any zero program on me yet, but-"

"I've got five minutes, Hilde." He couldn't let her waste time. "Listen. Quatre's trying to make a deal with a leader that can take over, if she gets rid of the other leader. So, you just gotta hang on? Okay? I'm going to do whatever it takes to get you back."

"Wow." That relieved look fell right off, but it had to. "I'm guessing if he can't, I'm toast? I'm not there this time, am I?"

"No." He didn't even waste time looking. He'd break his own heart later. "It's not over. Just think positive. I'll come get you, I promise."

"Don't promise, Duo." She still tried to smile. "It's okay. I know if you can help me, you'll help me. You are Duo Maxwell after all. You may run and hide, but you never tell a lie. That's my Duo." She was faltering. "No. It'll be okay. We've been through worse. Right?"

"Well, you've stupidly gone after me a couple of times when you shouldn't have," he pointed out. "We've got in scrapes before, and always find our way out. So, I'm sure, if Quatre can pull out a win, I'll be able to get ya."

"Don't do anything too stupid to get me, Duo. I know the zero system was really hard on the head, but I don't want you to get stuck as their lacky doing their dirty work."

He couldn't really answer that one. "I'll decide that for myself, if it comes down to it, what I'll do." He chuckled. "I compromised myself with lies a long time ago. The phrase still sounds good."

"Yeah. It sounds good." She looked at herself. "It feels weird wearing one of my favorite outfits in a mobile suit. Never did that. If it blows up, well, that's the end of that outfit." She was trying to be cheery as she touched her favorite beret. "You know, this last-minute thing is usually easier when you know what the outcome is going to be. There's a chance I might be okay, and you can come pick me later. There's a chance though, that I might not get back. Right?"

"Pretty much," he confessed. "These might be our last words. All of us pilots were all just bamboozled into this. Even Zechs." It was fast, but well planned. Swift. No debating. No scheme. No plan. No dumb puzzle to figure out. No pregnancy, and no mothers.

And it was undoing each of them a thousand times faster.

"You better get through this, Duo," Hilde told him. "Make sure you keep making friends. Keep having fun. I am really bad at last words. What is it I said after we first met, and I saved your butt so you could get through? I should know it."

"No idea. Keep awful last words, because these aren't going to be your last words." Aw, damn. He choked on the word last. "I'm no better, huh?"

Then, that was it. The panel shut off and closed down. Gone.

"Yep. I'm no better." He covered his head, trying to block out the world. Trying to block out his own conscience screaming at him. Even now, he just couldn't tell her.

But, he didn't have to. She didn't have to either. They both always lived in that perfect state of denial with each other. Good friend, who offered him help. Good friend, that offered more help when he came back. Best friends, sticking with the junkyard. Never a plan. Never anything said. Just month to month checking. Just month to month living.

Just month to month. Just never anything said. "I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie. Wish I could say I stayed true to that end, Hilde." He wiped his nose.

Getting back up on his feet. Been through this before. Losing those you care about. This'll be okay. Just, one foot in front of the other. Gotta keep going. This isn't over. Quatre's still got a chance, he pulled a bullshit last plea to do something for them that's gonna get considered. "Oh, who am I kidding? I barely lasted a month before I wanted to kill."

No. No, no. I can't do a damn thing until I know her fate for sure. Quatre could call any second. Crystalia could win. I gotta be ready if he does.

Tallgeese Hangar

"It was nice to play one more game with you," Noin remarked. "Crazy to think the one that took me down was just a bunch of people who couldn't even fight."

Zechs looked at the board. "Soldiers have to understand war to be able to set foot in the battlefield. Others that haven't been soldiers, can't understand as easily."

"Yeah. Maybe the Preventers should be starting some kind of different program. Not for soldiers, but to help the ones who lost their loved ones, that can't understand. Maybe reaching out to them. A little late though, I guess. This group was doing it's thing for a long, long time."

"Before AC 195, their work was different. It didn't run the same way," Zechs said. "Lucretzia Noin." The last chess game he would play with her. "If things change, I'll come for you."

"Mmm. Zechs Merquise coming after me instead of Miss Relena? Instead of a mission?" She chuckled. "Mmm. That don't really fit Zechs. If you see me again, then, I'm not gonna be myself. Right?"

That was the plan. "I'm sorry, Noin. Maybe things will turn out."

"Oh. You know they won't. Let's be happy though?" she encouraged him. "At least they never got far enough to throw a baby in me. That would make this a lot harder. Can't imagine how the others are feeling. But? At least I don't leave anything behind me."

"No regrets?" he asked softly.

"Sure I have regrets. I think everyone does," she admitted. "But, I got to have one more chess game with the man I admire most in the world. What could be nicer?"

Zechs stared at the board.

"They could have found someone better than me for this though. You just have such few friends, it was pretty limited."

Everything turned off on the control panel while he kept staring at the chess board. "I always cared for both of you, Lucretzia." They did a fine job on their selection. He only wished they hadn't.

St. Gabriel Institute

"Heero. It's almost time."

"Yeah."

"I have been preparing too," she said to him. "Ever since the day you believed they were still out there, and I knew you were watching over our children. I trusted your instinct." She looked at the twins. "I can't make you do this, but I think, it would be better for you and them."

His eyes were just held on hers. "You have to go up to the colonies. You can't just take your children on business. I tried. I still had to live. There were several times I did leave you alone." What did she come up with?

"I knew you had the present covered, Heero. I was thinking about the future. About what would happen, if something happened to me. I wanted it to be up to you, completely your option, what happened to them. It's still your option, I can do nothing when I am not there."

"What?" What did she decide?

"I kept in touch with Catherine, Trowa's sister. I try to keep communication open with everyone as best I can. When she told me how her troupe handled babies, I talked to the leader. Heero, I want you to stay with Trowa, with the twins. They have a scheduled manner there, so you'll always have someone to help if you need it. They are even willing to just take care of them, if you get to a point, that you can't."

How? What in the world would make her think to keep in touch with Trowa's sister? Communication. Excellent communicator. Strategy. She never had to fight in a mobile suit. She never had to land a single punch. She always found her way, probably the only way that existed, to take care of things.

Someone to help with twins. A place to earn money. A friend to talk to. She had covered all the bases she could. "Until I know for sure this is it, I'll stay with them, at the circus."

The smile on her face beamed. "Thank you for telling me, Heero. I really wanted to hear that."

Then it was dead. No low battery sign. No flickering. It just shut off, terminating the connection.

Even after that, he was still thinking about what he could have done. If he had stayed and just traced the program, could he have found the source that was communicating? Could he have messed with the system to find the answer? However, people were right there, working against him on that machine. People elsewhere who had been trained in it, with the dedication to not stop. To only make things harder from tweaking it.

And with three hours to find a possible source that might even be more than three hours away. Not to mention, losing those three hours when she would be able to speak to someone before this ordeal could be important.

He picked up Sophia and Sora. "The circus it is."