Disclaimer: You mean I gotta say it again? But...But...Oh, all right, I don't own Gundam Wing. So there, I said it! Are you happy now?

Author's Notes: Hey! Hey! All you readers out there! Did you think I would forget about you? No, no, no! I simply couldn't do that. Well, and of course, I couldn't resist yet another opportunity to inflict pain on you know who! Hehehehehee! But seriously, I want to thank you all again for the wonderful and entertaining comments and reviews that I have received on this fic. It really brightens my sadistic little spirit! Now on with the story!

It was as if time had stopped...

...if only for the passing of a heartbeat.

The sound of the metal cylinder connecting with the floor sounded like the chime of a teardrop against crystal, before being swallowed up in a thunderous explosion.

He could hear the faint clatter of debris, scattering down the thin grated stairwell in his wake. Could even smell the acrid stench of smoke and feel the unmistakable scorch of flames attempting to lick the surface of his flesh before he could escape.

In the moment that followed, all that remained was a deafening silence.

He struggled to draw in breath, his having been stolen in his thankfully short-lived tumble down the stairwell. His momentum had carried him down the first flight of steps with dizzying speed, but by the end of the second, he had managed to slow himself to a halt.

Pushing himself upright, he cursed back the sharp pain that radiated throughout his battered body, feeling the bruises on his back already beginning to form. His throat constricted painfully as he tried to fill his lungs, all in the vain attempt to chase away the disorientation still laying claim to his body. The deep breath only renewed the memory of intense pain in his mind; one felt only moments before the explosion. Now, looking down, he could see the pristine gunshot wound that left its mark in his right side, fortunately having only grazed him a mere inch or two below the bottom rib.

His left arm was tingling numbly, and the dull throb of broken bone quickly caught his attention, as he checked to see how well his previous injuries had fared in the fall. Wriggling his shoulder free of the denim jacket, he immediately began probing the bandages that housed his fractured collarbone, surprised to find that the two ends were in closer alignment than they had been before.

Despite the blatant abuses his body had already suffered, his mind quickly took precedence, reminding him that broken bones only served to hinder the mission, and he couldn't allow that kind of pain to slow him. His mind set, he clenched his teeth together, forcing the heel of his palm against the splintered bone until a satisfying snap answered to the pressure of his hand.

He forced himself to calm his breathing, as spots began to dance in his vision, and a dizzying nausea forced him to rest his head against the surface of the cold metal step before him.

It wasn't long before the faint ringing in his ears slowly subsided, replaced by the sound of voices echoing up the stairwell, as heavy footfalls approached him from the corridor just below...

* * * * *

The surface troops at the perimeter lines had been caught with their proverbial pants down, as the first tower came under attack. A single swing from Duo's thermal scythe cut the tower in two near its base, virtually leveling it before the guards inside could even see their attacker.

Thanks to Heero's handiwork inside the bowels of the base, the alarms would never reach the soldiers underground, and back-up troops would never be sent.

Duo felt a twinge of regret for the young soldiers keeping their watch, more than likely committed to a cause that they knew little to nothing about. He quickly pushed the thought aside, though, as he stole a glance across the battlefield to monitor their progress.

The far side perimeter wall was leaping with flames, all of which danced wildly in the night sky. From just beyond the towering inferno, Duo could just make out the image of the Altron Gundam, its left arm extended into the heart of the fire, like a writhing snake.

Sandrock was busy advancing on the handful of soldiers who had managed to get to their mobile suits. Far and away the most reluctant of killers, Quatre had always seemed more at ease when facing off against other mobile suits, rather than the men themselves. Duo couldn't help the smirk from reaching his lips as Trowa appeared just to Quatre's side, alternating the use of Heavyarms firepower, between covering Quatre's back against the mobile suits, and demolishing the base itself.

"...Like a walk in the park..." Duo whispered to himself, with a wide smile, before taking a moment to glance down at his watch.

...And right on schedule...

* * * * *

Heero took to the shadows, moving stealthily through the winding corridors as quickly as his wounds would let him. Judging by the layout of the hangar, and the main corridors leading to and from it, he had quickly ascertained that he was heading for the far north end of the base. Also, the most likely place to find the holding cells. He had made special note of the placement of the watchtowers and training centers on the surface, and figured that the East corridors in all likelihood, housed the soldiers quarters. The West and South corridors were the least heavily fortified, and Heero guessed that the other underground hangars would be in those directions. With little else left to go on, he would just have to trust his instincts.

He had just slipped around the corner when he heard more soldiers approaching, and was forced to duck back into the adjoining corridor in order to remain unseen. Pushing his back as flat against the wall as possible, he held his breath, and waited, picking up what snippets of conversation he could from the passing guards.

"I don't know...some kind of explosion on Level 5..." One of the voices stated, breathlessly.

"But what happened?...Was it sabotage?" Another questioned, the voices trailing off as they passed.

"I don't know...maybe a malfunction..."

Heero didn't wait more than a few seconds before moving swiftly back into the corridor, the soldiers not even fully out of sight.

Glancing down at the timer, he renewed his pace.

...Thirteen more minutes to go...

* * * * *

Relena visibly stiffened as the key panel outside her door beeped to life, and she quickly forced herself to full height, so she could meet whoever was on the other side, face-to-face.

The door slid open with an audible hiss, and the fair-haired blonde she had met before entered the room.

Looking into the young woman's face, Relena could see how much her delicate features resembled that of the Sandrock pilot, though unlike Quatre's, they seemed pained, even twisted in a mockery of gentleness.

"Is there some problem with the food, Miss Relena? My men tell me you have refused all food and water since your arrival here. Surely, the accommodations are suitable enough for you, are they not?"

"It doesn't matter what the accommodations are when you hold someone against their will." Relena snapped in reply. "How long do you intend on keeping me a prisoner here?

The sudden look from her captor made her shudder involuntarily. The woman's eyes, cold with anger and burning with hatred, bore deep into Relena's soul, chilling the very marrow of her bones.

"Why Miss Relena, surely you have the answer to that question already." Elairan whispered back, meeting the fearful response she had managed to elicit from her prisoner, eagerly. "Yes, I'm sure you've known all along."

She smiled wickedly as a spark of resistance flickered within the girl's bright blue eyes.

"Then you're just using me to bring them here, aren't you?"

Elairan answered with a cruel bellow of laughter, void of even the slightest hint of kindness or emotion. This woman's eyes, twisting with intent, spoke the same volumes as Heero's threat to her own life had.

"Well, I would rather die that allow you to hurt any one of them!" Relena shrieked, defiantly.

"Really, Miss Relena, how noble of you." Elairan seethed, sarcastically. "But, I'm afraid there is simply no way to avoid that eventuality now. You see, their fate was sealed the moment he died. They were the hope for our future...for the future of the colonies. But, when OZ came...where were they? My brother watched the colony citizens turn on our family, and flood to OZ's waiting arms, so they could be guided to war. He stood by and watched as they destroyed my father, yet did nothing. Did you know that revenge is one of the strongest and most undeniable forces of human nature? It is the comfort for those who suffer. And when all of those who are responsible for my father's death are dealt with, my suffering will finally come to an end. And my father can rest in the peace that he sacrificed his life for. I won't rest until those pilots have paid that price...until they see what their war has taken from me."

Relena could not voice a reply as her young captor left the room, sealing the door behind her.

She only found herself praying that wherever Heero and the other pilots were...that they were safe.

* * * * *

Dasenya could feel that something was amiss. Something in the pit of her stomach, in the soldier's instincts she had come to rely on in her many years of loyal service, was screaming at her that something was happening.

First there was the "accident" on Level 5, which was excusable for no other reason than the perimeter alarms would have gone off, had it been anything but. Then, there was the fact that all communication with the surface had somehow been lost.

"Tower one, I repeat, what is your current status?" Dasenya hailed, the viewscreen before her, revealing only a snowy, white haze.

"Have communications been tampered with?" Dasenya screamed, to no one in particular, her expression turning to a feral scowl of intent. "Why isn't the surface responding?"

No response was offered as she trained her focus on the surrounding soldiers, none of which desired to become the single object of her attention.

"Sound the alarm!" She ordered, abruptly, raising a few concerned glances from her men.

"Commander?"

"I SAID SOUND THE ALARM, LIEUTENANT!" She screamed, again, this time with enough force to raise the hair on the back of his neck.

"Right away, Commander." The young Lieutenant stammered before complying, and with a flick of a switch, the entire base was bathed in red.

* * * * *

The alarm sounded unexpectedly, and Heero was forced into the shadows once again, narrowly avoiding detection in the sudden commotion.

...Damnit, the internal alarms have been triggered...Have they already breached security within the base... He thought to himself, reading the display on the timer. ...Nine more minutes...I'm running out of time...

Forcing the insistent stabs of pain to the back of his mind, he clutched his side, pushing against the wound until he thought his legs would give way beneath him. The blood began to flow at a renewed pace, coating his skin with sticky warmth, but he would not be deterred.

He paused as he came to a fork in the long passageway, his mind drifting for even the slightest clue of which way to go next.

"Which direction?" He growled, as the stabbing sensation in his side struck with an evil vengeance, and he leaned against the wall to catch his breath.

Undoubtedly, his wounds had slowed him. He was running out of time and he still hadn't seen or heard of any sign of Relena.

Her name echoed endlessly through the corridors of his mind, flooding the heart and soul he had spent years trying to deny.

"I'll find you...somehow, Relena."

Although, not for long, I swear! There is really no good place to stop writing on this now...it's pretty much a break in the action, no matter what I do! My apologies! But, I hope you all enjoyed it...and are hopefully leaving a review as we speak! See you next time! Hugs and kisses to all! -Luvspook