Disclaimer: No, I don't own Gundam Wing... doo-da-doo-da... Some rich guys own the rights to it... oh-doo-da-dey! Oh, sorry! I'll stop singing now!

Author's Note: Have you all recovered from the initial shock of Chapter 10? Well, good! Because as I said at the end of the last one, they should start coming pretty quickly now. **Rubs hands together** I can't wait... so much action... so much adventure... so much angst... Just think about it! Anyhoo, I'm not there yet, so hold on to your hats. And thank you for all the reviews. I anxiously await the verdict on this one. But, before I let you go, I must formally request that you leave any and all handguns, knives, clubs, or other weapons here with me, BEFORE you read this chapter. I am not quite ready for my untimely demise just yet! Enjoy!

The convoy of Aries suits descended toward the colony, dropping like lead weights from the enemy carriers.

Dasenya could feel her heart racing as the cargo hold opened, allowing Avenger free reign to the open sky.

As expected, the Gundam pilots were already awaiting her arrival, and she smiled eagerly as the one called Deathscythe took to the air.

"Are you really in such a hurry to meet your maker, boy?" She seethed, quietly, adjusting the controls to a defensive posture.

In the back of her mind, she couldn't help the feeling of apprehension that was tugging at her, in a faint rush of memories that she knew were not her own. An unwanted strobe of images converged in her mind, long-buried emotions that were shared in the moment VARGAS connected with the ZERO system, and the two pilots' mind briefly merged as one.

She forced the thoughts away more determined than ever to fulfill her mission to destroy the pilots, their Gundams, and the very colony itself.

The sky filled with gunfire, explosions sounding from a multitude of sources as she eyed the soon-to-be battleground just below her.

The Aries suits that stood between her and the fast approaching Deathscythe were destroyed effortlessly, as Heavyarms and Sandrock cleared a path to Avenger, from their position on the colony surface. The smoke trails from Heavyarms missile barrage lit the sky around her, and she smiled as she withdrew her beam saber, preparing to do battle with the ominous winged Gundam before her.

"I'll finish you off first!" She screamed, punctuating the threat by throwing the thrusters to max. on an intercept course.

Inside the Deathscythe, Duo could see the enemy Gundam heading straight for him and wordlessly reminded himself to avoid direct contact.

The very sight of the Avenger stirred his blood in a mix of exhilaration, awe, and fear. The sheer size of Avenger made it appear the far more formidable mobile suit, even despite the Deathscythe's massive wings. The slate gray gundanium sparkled with an almost translucent gleam at times, giving it the appearance of greater depth, especially when in flight. The wings were set more like the Epyon, rounded back with sharp, defined edges giving it a sleek, aerodynamic, if not birdlike quality. Both of the mobile suit's arms were fixed with shielding that appeared similar to Zero's buster shield, but less encumbering and only half the size. Thick, sharpened spikes formed where they connected at the elbows, only serving to emphasize the rigid layers of gundanium housing the suit's main thrusters at the shoulders. The accents of crimson and silver glinted in reminiscence of a bloodied weapon.

... The whole damn suit is a weapon... Duo mused to himself, silently.

He knew it was foolhardy of him to take on the suit, after seeing what had happened to Heero. Yet, the thought of his friend and fellow Gundam pilot, left so seriously wounded from a single encounter with it, only served to ignite his already pronounced thirst for revenge.

"Take this!" He yelled, releasing the blades on his own buster shield, before launching in the general direction of the Avenger's chest plate.

The proximity alarm blared, but Dasenya could not move quickly enough to dodge the object completely, and her suit was thrown back slightly as the shield buried itself deep into the unprotected area of Avenger's right arm. The interior of the cockpit was bathed in red warning lights, as she steadied herself against Death's infuriating pursuit.

It was clear that the pilot was on a full-out attack, and she withdrew her beam saber in just enough time to deflect the twin blades of his beam scythe, as he lashed out with intent. She couldn't help the smile that came to her lips as he broke off his attack, clearly threatened by thought of close combat.

"You are no match for Avenger, you coward!" She screeched, lunging fiercely toward the Deathscythe, as she produced a second thermal blade.

She searched for the source of alarm as Avenger's warning lights flashed again, and turned just in time to see two homing missiles closing on her location, undoubtedly launched from the Heavyarms Gundam on the colony's surface.

Pushing back slightly, the two missiles passed in the distance between her and the Deathscythe, hitting their mark on one of the carriers just beyond.

"So you are working as a team, this time. It seems I underestimated you pilots... " She stated with an outward smile. "Time to see what other tricks Avenger has up its sleeve."

On the ground below, the mobile land troops were defending themselves against the relentless machine gun fire of the Sandrock, as Trowa destroyed as many mobile suits in the air as possible.

Two of the three enemy carriers had already been destroyed, and his sights were set on the third as he noticed the two Gundams fighting overhead.

Duo maneuvered himself a safe distance before lifting the massive beam scythe, swinging it in a circular pattern over his head, to deliver a swift, yet powerful blow to the Avenger.

The giant mech. was thrown back as electricity surged over the fresh, gaping wound in its side, and it seemed to be struggling desperately to regain its balance. The faint gleam shining in Avenger's eyes dimmed momentarily as the suit slumped forward, and Duo drew in closer for what he hoped would be the killing blow.

The suit straightened mere seconds before he moved to strike, but by the time Duo noticed it, it was already too late. Three giant cables snaked from the left palm of Avenger, imprisoning Deathscythe's arms and waist with an unwavering hold.

The cables flared to white and, in what seemed only an instant, the Deathscythe stopped moving, the controls flickering in and out as its energy was drained away.

The cockpit surged with electricity before totally powering down, no longer able to break free of its bonds.

Dasenya felt Avenger's systems overriding her control as she eyed the formerly threatening suit with malicious interest. Soon, the suit's capabilities would be her own to command, and Avenger would again prevail victorious.

Her thoughts were shattered by the all too familiar beep of her proximity alarm, as she caught sight of Quatre's Sandrock coming into view at her left side.

Before she could react, one of the heat shotels tore through the heavy cables, and both Gundams dropped out of view.

"You fool!" She screamed, viciously, seeking out the one who dared to oppose her.

Deathscythe fell from the sky like a bird that had just taken a fateful bullet, crashing to the ground, with too little power left to break his fall. Duo could feel the all too familiar snapping of bone as he hit the surface, kept in his seat by little more than the safety harness that had him strapped in.

Groaning in response to what he figured must have been at least two or three broken ribs, he struggled to undo the thick, padded straps, before reaching for the hatch release to the cockpit.

Sandrock came to a solid landing a few feet beyond, poised to defend himself as Dasenya and her Gundam glared down on him with intent.

"Duo! Are you all right?!" Quatre screamed, his mind replaying the image of how he had found Heero after such a similar incident. "DUO!"

The Deathscythe managed the slightest movement, before slumping against the ground, and Quatre breathed an audible sigh of relief as he saw the hatch pop open, and a seriously pissed off Duo Maxwell tumble to the ground.

Quatre immediately turned his attention back to the threat still very much at hand, as Avenger regained control of its facilities and passed within striking distance to his Gundam, still brandishing both of its beam sabers.

Quatre held firm against the attack, shielding the vicious blow, which forced the Sandrock back a step in the attempt to maintain its footing.

Once again, streams of light streaked through the air, and Dasenya was forced to pull back in order to avoid certain destruction.

"Aries Mobile Unit 1 and all remaining land troops... focus your attack on the remaining Gundam. Unit 2... ascend and proceed to sector 314." Dasenya ordered, resetting her sights on the two Gundams below.

She smiled in satisfaction as the Heavyarms came under heavy attack, and was forced to concentrate his firepower defensively.

"Trowa!" Quatre screamed, worriedly, momentarily distracted from the enemy before him. He reset his sights as he heard her voice speaking to him, directly.

"I have my orders that you be allowed to live, Quatre Raberba Winner, but cross my path again, and you may not be so fortunate the next time." She warned her opponent, and in a swift, unexpected movement, deployed a massive net over the Sandrock and Deathscythe.

The net tumbled down on all sides of them, heavy cables sending an electric charge through their mobile suits at even the slightest of movements.

"Like rats in a trap... " She whispered, before turning to advance to the next phase of her mission. "And now for you, Vice Foreign Minister Darlian... "

"We've been at this since we left the colony." Beth whined, with an exaggerated sigh. "Besides, you've read through the information on that disk, like, three times already. How long are we?... "

"Until we get it perfect." Heero interrupted, without taking his eyes off the small laptop screen in front of him. "If we can't rely on this program, then we stand no chance of defeating that Gundam, or of averting another war. The design has to be flawless."

He had been typing nonstop since they had left the surface of L1, formulating his perfect plan to destroy the Avenger Gundam, and deciphering its blueprints in tandem with the viral program she had designed for its delicate system. His efforts to hide the pain did not go unnoticed, though, as he absentmindedly rubbed his wounded left arm.

"You know you're not doing that arm any good..." Beth muttered, turning to stare out the shuttle window, seemingly interested by the enormous blanket of stars just beyond it. "If you ask me, I think you push yourself too hard."

"Well, no one was asking you." Heero retorted, a bit more harshly than intended, refusing to meet her glare as he continued to compile the data on Avenger.

"Well, excuse me for caring... " She huffed, bitterly. "You don't have to be so nasty to me all the time. I'm only trying to help, you know."

"Well, save it. The only thing I need from you is that program. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah right, well, you've been doing a bang up job of it so far." She spat back, allowing her offense to show through. "It's a wonder that a person like you could have any friends at all."

"Friendship is a luxury you can't afford as a soldier." He replied, icily, pausing only briefly, as the words left his lips.

"But every soldier needs allies, Heero."

He resumed his typing, ignoring the way his soul ached at the sound of her words, as she pretended not to notice the recognition she saw in his eyes as she spoke them.

... Even the Perfect Soldier... She thought to herself.

The sounds of nearby battle shook her out of her worst fears, only to confirm them.

Hilde could hear the sounds of explosions drawing closer to the salvage yard the sky visibly darkened by the small group of Aries suits appearing on the horizon.

"What's going on?" Hilde whispered to herself, panic creeping into her voice. "Where are Duo and the others?"

"We were ready for this." Sally replied, from her own salvaged, though partially scrapped out Leo suit.

"It's a good thing Duo and I had a few of these old suits laying around, huh?" Hilde replied, with a devious smile that would have put one of Duo's to shame. "I know he'd be upset about us using them, but... "

"There's no other choice." Sally stated, matter-of-factly, finishing the former soldier's thoughts. "You still remember how to use one of these things?"

"Oh, yeah... " Hilde smirked, as she lifted her dober rifle to the first wave of troops.

The first three Aries suits that hovered to the ground outside the salvage yard were rewarded with several well placed blasts from Hilde's Leo, exploding on impact before they even knew their enemy.

Sally Po positioned herself on the opposite side of the hangar, desperate to keep the Wing Zero from being found, while finding strategic advantage in the fact that she could remain hidden there. Lifting her own dobergun, she engaged two more suits as they descended, sending them both crashing to the ground in a massive explosion.

The rest of the approaching Unit figured out what was going on in enough time to dodge the next several shots, and returned fire on the new and unexpected retaliatory force.

"Commander, we have met resistance at sector 314, please advise... " The Squad leader of the Aries Unit called out.

"Are we fighting off civilians?" Another soldier cried out, just before a blast took the right arm clean off his mobile suit. "Who are they, Lieutenant?"

"Just return fire and hold your position." The Lieutenant screamed back, doing his best to pull away from the direct line of fire. "Destroy those rebels!"

"Hurry, Miss Relena!" Noin cried out, as several small explosions shook the house. "We can't stay here... It's not safe!"

"Noin, this is Sally... " Her radio crackled to life. "... You've got to get out of there. I don't know if we'll be able to hold them off, we're pretty outgunned, here."

"But what about the Gundam pilots?" Relena cried, aloud, her concern for both their lives and the colony, displayed clearly on her face.

"We're not sure. There's been no sign of them... " Sally's voice replied, unevenly, clearly sharing her concern.

"Either way, we've got to get you out of here, Relena." Noin stated, squeezing the girl's arm.

Without a word, Relena allowed herself to be led to the back entrance, just as another explosion jolted the house, nearly knocking them to their feet.

The small colony trembled as the sky on the horizon blackened.

It felt like a distant earthquake, but somewhere in the pit of her stomach, Catherine Bloom knew exactly what it was. It was the same sound that haunted her memory every time she dared to close her eyes. The same sound that would forever imprison her soul with fear. The same sound that conjured up images of him in her mind.

She could hear the crowd gathering on the street, saw the fingers pointing to the distant sky, as whispers of the question "What is that?" formed on the lips of nearly every person there.

The brown paper bag full of groceries fell weakly from her grasp as that fear gripped her heart, again.

"Oh, Trowa... "

Hilde knew she was nearly out of ammunition, and the enemy Aries still outnumbered her three-to-one.

"Gotta make these next few count." She whispered to herself, landing a calculated shot to one of the Aries' small jetpacks.

Several more blasts from the enemy rifles hit their mark, throwing her suit back a step, only to collide with what seemed to be an invisible wall.

"Huh? What is that?" Hilde said, spinning around in time to see an enormous Gundam materialize right before her eyes. One she had never laid eyes on before.

Frozen with fear and awe, she didn't even have time to brace herself for the impact, as the Gundam raised its beam saber and connected with solid hit, running her Leo through at its center.

Hilde screamed as the control panel in front her sparked, throwing bits of debris in every direction. She covered her face with her arms as the cockpit exploded with flames and smoke, her Leo crumpling to the ground in a mangled heap of smoldering titanium.

With a satisfying smile, Dasenya released the hatch on the cockpit, and lowered herself to the ground just as two figures escaped the small building directly to her left.

"Vice Foreign Minister Darlian... " Dasenya purred, ripping her weapon from its holster, and leveling it off at Lucrezia Noin's heart.

Noin was standing in front of the young diplomat, who looked as though she were trying desperately not to look afraid as she cowered at her bodyguard's back.

Noin was half-crouched down, like a tiger ready to pounce. There was a dangerous glint to her eyes... One that Fallon Dasenya did not miss as she addressed the young girl, once again.

"How good it is that we should finally meet, former Queen of the World." She continued.

"What do you want, Dasenya?" Noin asked, harshly.

"Why, Miss Lucrezia Noin. I am honored that you still remember me. How long has it been? Oh, I believe it was Nairobi, was it not? Operation: Daybreak?... "

She met the former OZ Lieutenant's seething glare with a threatening smile.

"I have been instructed to escort our young diplomat here to a meeting, that she will attend with an associate of mine."

"She's not going anywhere with you, Dasenya." Noin replied, through clenched teeth.

"And who will stop me? You, Noin? The Gundam pilots? I think not. They posed no threat to me. Or perhaps you meant the pilot of the Wing Zero... "

She could see the Vice Foreign Minister's eyes glaze over with fear and pain at the mere suggestion of his name, and could not keep herself from asking.

"Where is he now, Noin? Certainly, our little skirmish wasn't enough to finish him off completely. So what has become of Heero Yuy, now?"

An explosion sounded from behind her, a bit too close for comfort, distracting her for a split-second, and leaving Noin with perhaps the only opportunity to attempt an escape.

"Run, Relena!" She yelled, before lunging for Dasenya's gun.

A single gunshot broke the silence and Relena screamed as Noin fell to the ground, blood seeping from a pristine wound in her left shoulder.

"Miss Noin!" Relena cried out, stopped short of reaching her friend by Dasenya's crushing hold on her arm.

"I demand you release me at once!" She ordered, struggling against the woman as best as she could, until she felt the hot sting of a needle pierce her arm.

"Do forgive me, Former Queen, but my instructions were to bring you unharmed."

Everything began to fade away as she felt her body start to go limp, her limbs turning to rubber as Dasenya's words touched her mind.

"I am taking this one with me, Noin. Tell Heero Yuy that our battle is far from over. Tell him that if he wishes to see her alive again, he will have to contend with me, first."

Thoughts of Heero stabbed at her through the numbness in her mind, as fear for him, and for herself, crushed her with sickening force, and without warning, her world began to fade...

I know, I know, I AM a cruel little **BEEP** Oh, here comes the censors! But, what can I say, you can fill in the blank. Anyway, I hope you all liked this... **looks around the crowd to see scowling, pinched, and hateful expressions on their mob-like faces** Umm... I spent a lot of time... trying to... ahhh... Is something wrong? **Screams in terror as the words "Let's Get Her!" reaches ears** But, seriously, I hope you'll leave a review... Come on, I'll even let you tell me what a **BLANKETY-BLANK-BLEEP** I am! Thanks for reading! -Luvspook