Disclaimer: Hmmmm...You'd think that after all this time wracking what's left of my brain on new and exciting plot lines, descriptive (to the point of painful) battle sequences, not to mention the everyday task of coming up with new and inventive methods of torture and mental anguish...Yeah, Stella, baby! You know what I'm talkin' 'bout! Oh, sorry! Anyway, you'd think it would no longer be necessary to say the words. But, alas, in fear of the dreaded **deep, booming voice comes out of nowhere** COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT...I must say it again. I do not own Gundam Wing, nor do I make any profits from writing about it...**Sniff, sniff** It's just lucky for poor Heero and Relena that I don't! Hahahaha!!!

Author's Note: Woo-hoo! You still hanging in there! Well, thank goodness! I don't know what I'd do if you bailed out on me now! It's getting back into the action, now...so stick around. It's not nearly as much fun without those colorful responses, verbal threats, and the occasional lynching. I do love them so! I like to hug them, and squeeze them, and kiss them, and...WOAH! Let's just stop right there, shall we? Anyhoo, thanks to all of you for the feedback throughout this little fanfic...and as a side note...No, Alexandra, I don't hate you! But, like Heero, I feel the need to torture you a bit. It's my way of showing affection! Sick as it is! As the old saying goes...If you love something set it free...Well, I guess that really doesn't apply here. In my case, it would read...If you love something beat it repeatedly with blunt, heavy objects! I think I'll shut up now! Onto the fic!

Sally caught up to Heero as he made his way down the short corridor to the stairwell. He carried a certain deliberance in his stride...the kind that said Don't get in my way!'. But she couldn't in good conscience, let him leave without speaking her mind.

"Heero, if you're going to go, at least let me take a look at that arm, first. Those wounds haven't had the opportunity to heal properly, and you should know that you could be risking permanent damage if you injure it again. I know I can't stop you from leaving, but at least take that into consideration before doing whatever it is you have planned."

He stopped short at the edge of the stairwell, looking back at her as though he had actually given the idea a thought, when he caught snippets of the conversation being exchanged on the ground floor level.

"I still don't understand what they would've needed Relena for." Duo said, worriedly. "I mean after what they did to Noin, how do we even know that she's still alive?"

"They need her alive." Heero stated, from halfway down the steps, startling the other pilots into sudden speechlessness.

All eyes were fixed on him, as he descended the remaining stairs, Sally a few steps behind.

"Dasenya isn't the one who wanted Relena kidnapped. They're planning to use her for something else...If killing Relena was part of her plan, she would have done it right here."

"But how do you know that for sure?" Duo interrupted. "I mean they could..."

"I just know. Let's leave it at that." Heero replied, evenly, pushing his way past Duo to approach the mysterious girl, who until that moment, seemed quite content to sit in on their conversation as though she were nothing more than a fly on the wall.

"Let's leave it at that?..." Duo repeated, gesturing his disapproval of Heero's remark, with an exasperated gasp. "Are you gonna tell us what's been going on with you? Like where you've been? I mean, you disappear in the middle of the night, without telling anyone where you're going, or what you've got planned..."

His words were cut off as Heero spun around, and without warning, threw a small plastic case, roughly the size of a computer disk, at the Deathscythe pilot. The other pilots looked on with a certain curiosity as Duo opened the case, and pulled its contents out into the open.

"What is it, Heero?" Quatre asked, after a moment.

"The poisoned apple..." Heero replied, cryptically.

There was a dull pounding in her head as Relena pulled herself from the imposing darkness, blinking several times in order to kill the dizziness that was washing over her.

...Where am I?...

The question popped into her mind as she viewed her surroundings, which were by no means lavish, but certainly not ones associated with a prisoner, either. The small room was sparsely furnished with a quaint queen-sized bed, a table with two chairs, and a simple looking desk. Although only dimly lit, Relena could feel a certain presence in the room, as the distinct feeling of being watched tugged at her through the haze.

"I see that you're awake, Vice Foreign Minister Darlian." A voice spoke from the shadows. "You must forgive us for using such methods to bring you here, but I'm afraid you left us little choice."

"Who are you? I demand to know why you have brought me here." Relena demanded, forcefully, feeling the last remnants of her grogginess slip away at the unnerving calm in her captor's soft, yet lethal, tone of voice.

"I am sorry to disappoint you, my dear Vice Foreign Minister, but it's not you that I am after." The woman whispered, icily, as she stepped from the shadows.

Relena couldn't prevent the look of surprise from reaching her features as she was met face-to-face by a young woman, only slightly older than she was. She had deep aquamarine eyes, and long spirals of blonde hair that cascaded down the length of her shoulders, framing the fair skin and delicate features of her face. A face that displayed a soft smile that contradicted the threatening cadence of her voice.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Miss Relena. My name is Elairan Kaliesha Winner..."

The other pilots stood both amazed and perplexed by the wealth of information Heero, and a freshly introduced Beth Vargas, were unleashing about their enemy. In answer to half a dozen crucial questions, the pilots were slowly becoming acquainted with the possibilities of what they would soon be facing, for the third, and hopefully, final time.

"So how do we beat it?" Duo asked, after all other explanations had ceased. "I mean the thing can trash anything mechanical in nature, right? So using the Gundams won't work."

"You won't be fighting Avenger." Heero stated, matter-of-factly. "You four will be concentrating on destroying the base and the rest of her troops. I'll handle that suit."

"Woah, woah, woah!" Duo started to argue, before Quatre interrupted, noticing Heero's sudden move for the door.

"What's your plan, Heero?"

"Repairs shouldn't take you more than a few hours." Heero continued. "Use whatever parts you need from Zero to get them ready for battle."

"And what about you?" Duo asked, not missing the way Heero seemed to be avoiding the rest of their confused expressions.

"I won't be using Zero this time."

There was no reply to the comment, as the others sat in silence, presumably waiting for his reason.

"I'll infiltrate the base." Heero responded, quietly. "Dasenya won't be expecting anything short of an all-out frontal assault from the Gundams."

"Meaning?..." Duo interrupted, abruptly, earning him one of Heero's infamous death glares.

"That gives us the advantage. As soon as I get inside, I'll disable communications and the perimeter security so you can get close enough to attack. The surface troops won't be able to alert the rest of the base, until it's too late. The less time they have to assemble any heavy resistance...the better our chances of stopping them."

"But even if you do manage to get inside..." Trowa interrupted from the opposite corner of the room, drawing everyone's attention. "You'll be completely cut off. Not even you can stand up to that powerful of a military force alone."

"Let me worry about that." Heero replied, harshly, grabbing a small headset and his radio communicator, before heading toward the door.

"Hey! Hold on just a second, here!" Duo argued.

He had seen that look in Heero's eyes before...it was an unmistakable expression that always managed to send up the warning flags inside his mind. He was fairly certain that the others could see it, too. But he wasn't about to let it go this time.

"There's no way that you're going to be able to accomplish this mission all on your own. Let me go with you."

"You'll just get in the way." Heero stated, refusing to meet Duo's genuinely worried expression.

"But you going in there alone is a suicide mission...and we both know it. I don't see any sense in you going in there to fight a battle you know you can't win."

"Every battle we've taken on has been one we didn't stand much chance in winning. We've just managed to get lucky until now. This time will be no different."

"Even in our Gundams, our chances are slim at best. But, Heero...to go off alone..." Duo growled in frustration, too angry to continue. "I don't even know why I waste my time trying to talk sense into you anymore. I'd stand a better chance of getting Dasenya to surrender then getting anything through that thick skull of yours."

Heero looked back over his shoulder, stopped dead in his tracks by Duo's sudden outburst. He had never seen the pilot of the Deathscythe look quite so serious before.

He shook off the notion that he had made some difference in Duo's life...or any of the other's, for that matter. He had spent his entire life trying to remain an outsider, becoming nothing more than a shadow...one that appeared and disappeared from people's memory, like a dream. But he never imagined that his death would ever really affect anyone. That he would be missed.

He hardened his expression, mentally assuring himself. ...They'll all forget in time...Stay focused on your mission...Once Relena is safe, you'll be able to defeat Dasenya and peace will be restored. You can sacrifice your life for that...

The words stayed with him in the hours that passed, overseeing the Gundams repairs, as he prepared himself for what was to come. Slipping on his thin denim jacket, he made his way outside.

It was time to put his plan into motion...

Now tell me you didn't see THAT one coming! Sorry! Yet another cliffhanger for you all to hate! But just think of what you have to look forward to! Also, in case you are wondering...YES! That nasty person pulling Dasenya's strings IS indeed one of Quatre's sisters...OH, come on! He has 29 of them, remember, why can't one be evil? Well, regardless of the cliffhanger ending, any questions, comments, flames? Pleeeeease let me know! It is but a mere moment of your time, and it means the world to me! Thanks and see you soon! -Sinisterly yours, Luvspook