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"Return from Eternity"Written By: Karen The Huntress Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or its
characters Rating: R Warnings: angst, language, suspense, eventual
happy ending Pairings: 1+2 Summary: Can Heero save Duo from a Zero System
malfunction? "Return from Eternity "
Chapter One
Gundanium is nearly impenetrable. Deathscythe has sustained worse exterior damage and remained functional. This lack of response typically indicates internal system failures, an incapacitated or dead pilot. Heero Yuy, codename 01, refused to consider the latter possibility. Contrary to his moniker "God of Death" Duo Maxwell, codename 02, was mortal flesh and bones. Duo was ordered to hold position. Heero, piloting Wing Zero, was minutes within striking range when three MS squadrons popped up on radar. No reason to charge into the fray alone. ****** ~Twenty-Four Hours Earlier~ Ignoring protocol directives and bolstered by just
enough piss and fire to be reckless, Duo initiated Zero System assimilation
with his demon-wing Gundam. (If Heero had known Professor G. condoned and encouraged the unsanctioned modifications he would've killed the egotistic scientist.) Duo worked all night programming interactive logic and
interface feedback. Physical stimulus encoding were simple computations.
Mental linkage calibrations between pilot and machine proved to be
more complex. Fluctuation margins not within acceptable parameters. Next day. Call-to-arms. Duo launches Deathscythe Hell with an unverified Zero System. ****** Heero Yuy had always been solitary. Dubbed "The Perfect Soldier" for his fighting prowess and devotion to duty, neither pride nor fear of failure made Heero a loner. Camaraderie was seldom necessary for successful mission completion. Sexual encounters were impractical distractions. Despite unorthodox combat techniques Duo Maxwell was a proficient ally, but his offer of friendship required the vulnerability of an unguarded heart. ****** ~Retrieval~ Beyond tattered remains of battle, countless stars twinkled in the ebony infinity called space. Heero guided Wing Zero through a maze of fragmented suits entombing mangled bodies. So much destruction. Senseless dying. Still OZ continued their quest for domination and the Gundams their fight for freedom. Monitor screens sizzled with static interference. White noise hissed over open communication channels. Careful. Minimum thrusters. Ease beside the black mecha from Hell. Dull thud confirmed contact. Heero, cocooned in a pressure suit, helmet and secured by a tether line, floated in the buoyancy of zero gravity. Carefully selected handholds to avoid jagged metal ferried him to Deathscythe's cockpit. Viewport, etched with spider web cracks, was too scarred to see inside. "Duo can you hear me?" is inquired through the helmet headset. Answer—an unnerving rush of hollow air. Did Duo follow mandatory safety procedures? If he's unprotected a hull breach would result in immediate death. No intervention. Duo dies anyway. At this decisive moment the Perfect Soldier never felt so alone. Emergency hatch release refused initial disengagement. Heero gritted his teeth. Arm muscles flexed. Finally stubborn seals broke. Whoosh of decompression. Thank the Fates! Duo suited up. Duo slumped lopsided. Gloved fingers clutched control rods. Luckily the Zero System helmet, modified for atmospheric vacuum, was intact. No time to waste. Heero unhooked dual restraint harnesses then gathered a fistful of tricot polymer fabric. Oblivious, Duo hovered like a helium balloon snagged on a tree limb. 02 in tow, Heero secured the hatch. Three minutes. Duo is safe within Wing. Ten minutes more, Deathscythe is fettered by four retrieval cables. ****** ~Battlecruiser Sun Hawk~ Heero stood in a stark white corridor. Quivery intakes of air. Slow exhalations. Nerves steeled, at least for the moment, he parted double doors identified as "Medical Technology". Six laboratories, shielded by titanium composite plating and reinforced glass, curved in a semicircle. Number two was the only occupied chamber. Heero swiped a top level security keycard. Red light turned green. Bolt latch clicked. Thick metal door slid aside. A pause to acclimate his surroundings. Two single beds sat side by side. Centered behind the beds, a large Zero System console housed an array of diagnostic computers, readout display screens and interconnecting input mechanisms. Duo Maxwell laid on his back in the nearest bed, stripped to boxers, pillow under his head and covered with a drab green blanket. Electrodes wired to the console, affixed to temples and forehead, recorded neuronal impulses. Another pair on his chest monitored heartrates and respiration. Long ragged braid draped over his shoulder, Duo depicted the illusion of sleep. Heero studied the motionless figure. Too many unknown factors. Had erratic data streams impeded cerebral pathways? Scrambled neurons? Obliterated the psyche? If Duo never woke from his hibernal slumber? Heero
failed to suppress an involuntary shudder. Few minutes to digest the summarized data. "What is the prognosis?" Heero asked, even though he dreaded the answer. Colonel Massie offered a straightforward response. "There's no definitive treatment for Zero generated synaptic disruptions. Only option for possible recalibration is experimental." "Research status?" Heero inquired impatiently. "Preliminary computer simulations corroborate a positive encode ratio of sixty percent. However, safety margins for human to machine correlations were inconclusive." Massie expounded. "Without further analysis and evaluation the risk of irreparable damage or death is indeterminable." Heero calculated probable odds plus his rewired DNA via Dr. J. "Human to human linkage would improve acceptability rates." was stated with reasonable certainty. "That course of action is not feasible." Massie declared. "Maxwell is not a viable test subject." Sig Sauer automatic pistol materialized from the rear waistband of Heero's jeans. "I'm not asking your damn permission."
~Mission Accepted~ Heero Yuy laid on the second bed. Shirtless. Pillow under his head. Electrodes wired to the Zero System console, affixed to temples and forehead, recorded neuronal impulses. Another pair on his chest monitored heartrates and respiration. Colonel Ben Massie, persuaded by the promise of horrid death, supervised a trio of technicians. Intricate networks of circuitry and electronic relays yoked 01 and 02. Interlinked connectors fused dual virtual realities. Deep breaths. Eyes close. Senses drift. A lone warrior, Heero embarked on his imperative mission to reclaim the one person who made life worthwhile.
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