Disclaimer: Gundam Wing isn't mine. As for the rest that you haven't heard about in Gundam Wing, now those are mine.

An insight to the new soldiers' minds. Are they ready to face their enemy? For comments, suggestions, flames or reviews, you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com

The day before the attack

After lunch, Heero and Athena gathered the kids in front of the main computer terminal. "Raidon's forces consist of Deathscythe Hell, Heavyarms, Sandrock, Altron, Tallgeese, a new Gundam based on the Epyon named Stygma and an army of 2500 Serpent Suits. They are placed mainly on four locations: the Presidential Palace in Brussels, the main Preventer Base in the Sanc Kingdom, his base in Buena Park and the Preventer's main space outpost in MO-II," Heero stated. "To prevent Raidon from making good his threat, we have to attack those 4 locations simultaneously. We'll separate into two teams: The Earth team will consist of Rhys, Kai, Jiiro, Deity, Trion, Lee and myself while Athena and Reina will head out to space."

"Wouldn't it be better if we make the members in each team even in number? I mean, I don't doubt Athena and Reina's abilities but it would be safer if they were not the only ones heading out to space. Kai and I could go with them," Trion voiced out.

"Raidon's forces are more concentrated on Earth than in space. The HAVOC might be outnumbered but it only had to fight Serpent Suits unlike the rest of you who, aside from facing the Gundams and the Tallgeese, will also have to fight the rest of Raidon's army. The Presidential Palace is surrounded by a 2-checkpoint perimeter, consisting of more or less, 600 Serpent Suits. While you breach the checkpoints and fight the Gundams, I'll sneak inside the Palace to get Relena and stop Raidon. Jiiro, you'll face the Stygma with Wing Zero. The rest of you will face your respective MS counterparts. The 15 Sanc Kingdom guards that escaped the last battle will attack the Preventer base to prevent them from sending back-up troops to the Palace."

"But how can 15 Serpent Suits defeat a whole base of enemies?" Lee inquired. "It's just like Athena and Reina heading out to battle all by themselves."

"We already took care of that," Athena answered. "You must not worry about other things. Focus on your designated tasks. Reina and I are more than capable of completing our missions." She punched some keys on the terminal, afterwhich a map showing Buena Park and MO-II appeared on the monitor. "Since Raidon used Buena Park as his base, blowing it up is not an option. As long as there are other means of preventing the main array from firing at the colonies, we wouldn't consider taking innocent lives. That's why I'm going to infiltrate his base and disengage the main array from within. His main array is a copy of Damon's main array, and I have sufficient knowledge of its internals to render it useless. Reina, on the other hand, will attack MO-II, preventing it from sending back-up to the base or to the Palace."

"We were worried about you and Reina fighting alone but Reina attacking MO-II by herself? It's even more dangerous!" Rhys said.

"I can handle it," Reina simply stated.

Deity looked at her bestfriend. "We know you can. We just don't want to risk it. Maybe I could come with you."

"You can't. As Heero said earlier, you will have your hands full with the Gundams and the rest of Damon's army. They need you there, Deity. Even more so than Reina," Athena told her. "Besides, the HAVOC was especially designed to battle and defeat a whole army singlehandedly. Reina wouldn't have any problems. And we wouldn't be alone. Your fathers will be there, together with your respective families. They will help us." She looked at each new pilot, her gaze hard. "I said it before, I'll say it again. There's no room for distractions. Focus on your missions. Your survival and the success of this operation depend on it."

The seven kids nodded. "Timing is critical. If we attack the Palace and Athena hasn't finished disengaging the main array, then the colonies will be destroyed. Or if the infiltration teams were caught, Raidon will be notified and he'll kill Relena on the spot. We must synchronize our attacks and follow the plan accurately. One mistake will prove fatal," Heero told them. "Athena and Reina will head out to space early tomorrow. Athena will infiltrate the base 40 minutes before the attack on the Palace. That will give her ample time to rescue Duo and the rest then disengage the main array. The Sanc Kingdom guards will also start their tasks earlier. I already synchronized their time with mine. It's your turn. On my mark, synchronize watches --- 1:10pm." When everyone finished adjusting their watches, Heero asked, "Questions?"

"Do you have any data on the Gundam pilots we'll be facing?" Jiiro inquired.

Heero and Athena looked at each other. "Hn," Athena replied, pressing a button.

The 7 kids were shocked. Even Jiiro and Reina, who hadn't been showing any form of reactions lately were surprised. "Qintaro" Reina whispered as they stared at the images of Qintaro, Sean, Miles, Colin, Dean and Ren displayed on the screen.

Kai couldn't believe his eyes. "Ren The others They ---"

"They are your enemies," Heero finished for him.

He knew he was late. Well, just two minutes late but it was still enough for another soldier to be given the task of taking her dinner to her. He walked briskly towards her room, ignoring the other guards who saluted him along the Palace corridors, his mind focused on catching the other soldier carrying her food so he could be the one to take it to her. He shook his head at the thought. He might as well admit it. He wanted to see her. And he used his influence as the second-in-command there so he could always see her, by being the one responsible in delivering her meals. It took him 3 days to admit and accept this fact. And now that he did, he wanted to know why. He was sure that he didn't have any crush on her, she was old enough to be his mother. Maybe that was the reason, he thought. I couldn't remember my own mother but when I'm with her, I feel nice. At peace even. And she looks so much like His thoughts were cut short when he saw the soldier carrying her dinner just a few feet away from her room.

"Morris, I'll take that," he commanded when he caught up to the soldier.

"Yes sir," the soldier responded, giving him the tray. "Umm, sir, she asked for you during lunch."

"Hn," he acknowledged then headed towards her room. The guards standing outside saluted him before opening the door. He took a deep breath then entered.

Relena heard the door opened but she remained sitting with her back turned, silently looking at the picture in her locket. She smiled as she remembered that day when their family picture was taken. She was leaning against Heero, his right arm wrapped around her shoulder, Jiiro and Reina standing in front of them. Heero's left hand was resting on Jiiro's shoulders while Relena's right hand was on Reina's shoulders. She and Reina were smiling brightly at the camera, Jiiro had a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips and though Heero wasn't exactly smiling, his eyes conveyed his happiness and contentment. Her reverie was interrupted when she heard a familiar voice. "Here's your dinner."

Relena whirled around and smiled at him. "Qintaro. You're back. I asked about you when you still weren't the one who delivered my meal during lunch."

"So I've heard," he answered flatly, though the knowledge that she asked for him made him feel warm all over.

Relena smiled. She knew that even if he wasn't showing it, he was flattered. She now regarded him as a son and she wanted to know everything about him. She wanted to help him. "You've been gone the whole day. Where have you been?"

Qintaro gave her his most fearsome glare. She had a lot of nerve to ask that question! Didn't she know that she was a prisoner there? Their prisoner? She wasn't supposed to ask about things regarding their operation. But Relena just smiled back at him, not in the least intimidated. It's like she's used to having someone giving her a death glare, he mused. He knew that he could just ignore her and not answer her question, but there was something about her that could make even the most stubborn talk. And before he could stop himself, he answered, "I went to our base to check on things." After that, he silently cursed himself for being weak. He was a trained soldier for chrissakes. He even was trained at a young age to master the Zero System. But why could this slip of a woman easily overpower him? How could she make him do things he didn't want to do without the use of any force aside from that warm smile of hers?

"Is that so?" Relena remarked. She then looked at him straight in the eye. There it is again, she thought. The coldness in his piercing green eyes flickered away when their gazes met, though only for a second. "Why are you doing this, Qintaro?"

Qintaro's face hardened. "That's none of your business," he said iciliy.

"I know you're hurting. I know that you know what you're doing is wrong, that what Raidon was ordering you to do is wrong. And that you hate doing them as much as I do. But why are you still here? Why are you still following his orders? What can you possibly gain from all of this?"

Just turn around and walk away, Qintaro's mind chanted. But he wanted her to understand. She was the closest thing he had of a mother and even if she was a prisoner there, he didn't want her to think low of him. Besides, he didn't know how, but he was certain she would understand. "My father," he answered without any emotion.

Realization dawned on Relena. Why didn't I see it before? He looks exactly like Raidon! Except his hair is longer and is in a ponytail. "So that's why you dare not disobey him. He is your father."

"Being a soldier is the only thing that could make him be proud of me," he said again in the same emotionless tone.

"You trained to become a soldier to please him? Is that it?" Relena asked.

"It's the only way to make him accept me as his son. To make him love me as his son."

Relena's heart went out to him. "Oh, Qintaro. Raidon and I might not be exactly friends but I know for a fact that he loves you. There's no father in existence who doesn't love his kid. You don't need to be like this to win his affection."

"Apparently, you don't know my father. He never paid attention to me while I was growing up. His routine was to wake up, get a nanny for me and my cousin, leave, then return after a month or two from God knows where. The only time he acknowledged my presence was when I told him that I want to be a soldier, just like him. I was seven then. Immediately after, he took me and Sean to his newly constructed base and started training us, together with 4 other kids he picked up from the streets. And from then on, he started focusing on me. All the hard work, the training, my earlier resentment of him --- they were all forgotten when I saw the pride and respect on his face when I mastered the Zero System, when I became the best soldier in his army. So you see, I need to be like this to win his affection," Qintaro stated without feeling. He turned around and started walking away. To stop him from leaving, Relena suddenly asked, "Why are you nice to me, Qintaro?"

Qintaro froze on his tracks. "Not that I don't like you being nice to me. In fact, I'm grateful. I just want to know why," Relena added.

Without looking back, Qintaro answered, "You remind me of someone."

Relena smiled. "Your girlfriend?"

Qintaro whirled around to face her. Relena didn't miss the slight blush on his cheeks. "No. Umm, not yet, anyways. I'm still working on it," he answered, a little sheepishly. It was a far cry from his usual emotionless tone. "She's a close friend. The twin sister of my bestfriend. I was supposed to take her to the dance next week but I have to cancel because of, you know, the attack."

Relena was amazed by the change in Qintaro's behavior. It was the first time Relena heard him speak this way. It was like he wasn't a soldier but just an ordinary teenager, talking about his life, his friends. He must care for that girl deeply, she surmised. She then saw Qintaro's face softened as he looked at her. "She looks a lot like you," he told her quietly.

"Really? Then she might also look like my daughter. They say that we look alike, except for the hair and the eyes that she inherited from her father. Even my son had the same hair and eyes. In fact, he inherited nothing from me. Heero's genes are a lot more potent than mine," Relena said, grinning. She looked at her locket again. "I have a picture of them. Want to see?"

Qintaro nodded then walked towards her. Relena slipped off her necklace and handed it to him. Qintaro's eyes widened with shock when he saw the picture. "Jiiro? Reina?" he said increduously. How did this happen? How come this didn't occur to me before? he asked himself. He couldn't help feeling like a big stupid ass. The twins were practically carbon copies of their parents. Especially in Jiiro's case --- he looked exactly like his father! Well, that mistake was a little understandable. Heero Yuy managed to avoid a lot of media exposure, which was an unbelievable feat considering how famous he was --- the husband of the President, her Head of Security and the owner of the largest computer company in the ESUN. That was the reason why there were only a few people who could remember his exact features, the majority just knew him by name. Still, Qintaro had a few glimpses of him from the TV and newspapers and his file was in their database as one of the Gundam pilots so he must be able to recognize the similarity in Heero and Jiiro's features. But Reina and Relena? He lifted his eyes and looked at Relena. Everyone in the ESUN knew what Relena looked like! And he spent all his time memorizing every line and curve in Reina's face. He should have known! Well, maybe it was because Reina had his father's hair and eyes. Or it was because Heero and Relena did a good job in hiding the twins from the spotlight. It might also be that that possiblity just plain didn't occur to him. Or maybe I'm just a big stupid ass, he thought. My God! We've taken Jiiro and Reina's mom hostage! What would they think if they find out about it? What would the others think? Then something popped to his head. The others They're family friends of Jiiro and Reina. What if they too were the children of the other Gundam pilots?

Seeing Qintaro's reaction, Relena knew that the friends he was referring to earlier were her children. "Qintaro ---"

Relena didn't finish what she was going to say when all of a sudden, Qintaro's face regained its expressionless mask as he stared at her with cold eyes. He handed the locket back to her then silently walked out of the room.

Relena sadly watched him leave. She knew how he must feel, having felt it herself when she learned that Athena was the enemy. But at least she didn't have to fight Athena. In this case, Qintaro had to face Jiiro and Reina in battle. Why did fate have to be cruel to those kids? she wondered. Not only were they forced to fight, they were forced to fight those dearest to them. "I hope he finds his way," she prayed. "And I hope all of them will survive the coming battle and become friends again."

"Can't keep away from them, I see," Sean said as he entered the hangar where the 5 Gundams and the Tallgeese where kept.

"Well, each of them is an exquisite piece of machinery. Nobody who appreciates Mobile Suits could really stay away from them," 14-yr old Colin replied from inside Altron's cockpit. "How's the base, by the way?"

"A- OK," the redhead answered, heading straight to Deathscythe Hell.

An 18-yr old guy with raven hair and hazel eyes lowered himself from the Tallgeese. "Sean, where's Qintaro?" Miles asked.

Sean's green eyes glinted with mischief as he sat down on Deathscythe's feet. "He didn't exactly tell me where he was going when he hurriedly went out of the shuttle upon landing. But one guess is that he's in Miss Relena's room. As always."

"Qintaro had really taken an interest in her, huh," Dean remarked while making a diagnostics check on Heavyarms. "Reina won't be too happy about that once she finds out," the 14-yr old added, a small smile forming on his lips.

Ren went out of Sandrock's cockpit. "You know the reason why Qintaro is so taken in with her, Dean," he told his brother. At first glance, no one would suspect that Ren was 2 years older than Dean. They looked more like twins, with the same height and built, even the same smoky-gray eyes. The only difference was their hair --- Ren's was black while Dean's was brown. "She looks so much like Reina."

"Speaking of look-alikes, something weird happened to me at the base," Sean said. "I checked the Gundam pilots in their room and one of them, Duo Maxwell, you know, the pilot of Deathscythe, actually reminded me of Deity. With the long braid and the violet eyes, the resemblance is scary."

Ren grinned. "Don't tell us that you're going to ask the General to restation you to Buena Park so you can also give him his meals."

Sean gave him a look. "Of course not. He's a guy for crying out loud. Qintaro can do that because the person who reminds him of Reina is a girl. Besides, Unc --- I mean the General wouldn't allow such a transfer." Even 8 years of training couldn't make him get used to calling his Uncle 'General'. And if that was hard for him, just imagine how Qintaro must felt like whenever he had to address his father 'General'.

After finishing what he was doing inside Altron, Colin went down and joined his friends. "Miss Relena reminds me of Reina too, you know. And when I think of Reina, I think of Lee and the others," he told them, his lavender eyes mirroring the sadness evident in his voice.

Miles went to Colin and ruffled the younger kid's blue hair. "Hey, we miss them too. But don't you worry. The General promised us that once everything is stable in the ESUN, we could all go back to RECON. We could resume our lives by then."

Dean went out of Heavyarms cockpit and lowered himself down. "But can we really resume our lives? I mean, we piloted the Gundams, we killed a lot of soldiers and we had overthrown the present ESUN government. We even have the President hostage right here in the Palace. Do you think folks like us can still be accepted by society and lead normal lives? What would our friends think when they find out about this? Will they still accept us?"

Everyone remained silent as Dean's words hit home. They were all thinking of the same thing. After a moment, Ren said, "Well, nobody really knew what we've done. And nobody will have to know. It was part of the mission, right? The General wanted the public to think that the original Gundam pilots were the ones who attacked the Palace. Except for Heero Yuy, he couldn't possibly attack his own wife. And RECON is an anonymous school, so there's nothing to worry about. We can go back and pick up where we left off, as if we didn't go at all."

"I can't help thinking that we did the wrong thing, though," Colin quietly stated.

"We are soldiers. And we were trained to follow orders, not to question if an order is right or wrong first before doing it or to ponder our actions afterwards," Miles told everyone. He then heaved a big sigh. "Personally, we might think that what we did was wrong, that what we're still doing is wrong. But we have no choice. The General rescued us from the streets and took us in. He gave us everything that we have now and we'll forever be in his debt. This is the only way we could repay him."

"Yeah. We are one family. And for all of us, this is the only family we had ever known. The General is the head of this family and we'll follow him wherever he leads us, whether it be the right or the wrong path," Sean said. Wanting to lighten up the conversation, Sean remarked, "AAAGGHH! I still couldn't get the similarity between Duo Maxwell and Deity out of my head." He then shivered. "I keep picturing them alternatley in my mind. This is really getting scary."

The others laughed. "You might get nightmares about it, Sean," Dean said.

"Maybe they're related or something," Ren suggested.

"Nah. I don't think so," Sean replied. Then he grinned when something popped into his head. "I sure wish I could take Deity for a ride in Deathscythe. What do you think she'll say?"

"She'll hit you hard then tell you that she doesn't want to see you again because you stole his father's Gundam," Qintaro said humorlessly from the door.

The 5 kids turned to look at him. Sean shook his head. "Man. You do have one weird sense of humor," he told his cousin.

"I'm not joking. Deity will beat you to a pulp for stealing his father's Gundam," Qintaro replied in his no-nonsense tone as he approached them. Miles, Ren, Colin, Dean and Sean got a little nervous when they saw that Qintaro was being as serious as hell.

"What are you talking about, Qintaro?" Miles asked.

"I talked to Miss Relena and I discovered something interesting. I then did a little digging and guess what I found," Qintaro answered, tossing a folder to them.

Ren caught the folder and opened it. The 5 kids paled when they read the data inside. "What the f---" Sean blurted out.

Dean couldn't believe what he was reading. "Jiiro Adin Yuy. Reina Keiko Yuy. Deity Maxwell. Trion Barton. Kai Dotre Winner. Lee Fei Chang. Rhys Illiard Peacecraft." He looked at Qintaro. "You mean..."

"I thought all of the Gundam pilots' families were captured," Miles softly said.

"Fath--- the General relied on the idea that the pilots will take everyone in their respective families with them on their 'vacation' so he didn't check if the family members were complete once they were captured," Qintaro replied. "And their parents made a good job in hiding them and their information from the public. Enrolling them in RECON helped a lot too. The only place where I got their data was from the Census."

"What now?" Colin asked.

"Nothing. What they don't know wouldn't hurt them," Qintaro responded.

"But what if they attack us and try to take back the ESUN?" Ren inquired.

"They don't have the means to fight us. We have the Gundams, remember? But if they do, then we have no choice but to fight them," Qintaro responded with finality.

At the same time

The 7 kids gathered in the guys' room after dinner. The revelation that afternoon came as a shock to them, but knowing how dangerous it was to have distractions during that time, they decided to store the news at the back of their heads and just ponder about it after completing their training. And now, it was time for them to come into terms with the grim truth.

"Knowing that you have to fight and kill a nameless soldier is hard enough. Knowing that you have to fight or maybe even kill your own bestfriend is much worse," Lee remarked.

Rhys plopped on his bed dejectedly. "You got that right. The irony of all ironies, huh. This is what we get from enrolling in a school where nobody knew anything about their respective friends' backgrounds."

"That works both ways too. I'm sure that they didn't know that our fathers were the Gundam pilots either," Trion pointed out.

"Even if they knew or not, this is still an absolute nightmare. How can we possibly fight them?" Deity asked.

"We'll fight them just like we're trained to do, just like how we're planning on fighting any other soldier," Jiiro stated.

Kai sighed. "It's not as simple as it sounds, Jiiro. We were trained to win, to defeat an enemy. But can we use that training on our friends? I, for one, don't know if I can fight Ren, much less win over him."

"That indecision will kill you, Kai. We can't afford to get distracted. We must focus on accomplishing our mission," Jiiro told them.

"Aren't you bothered that you're going to face Qintaro tomorrow?" Rhys asked his cousin.

Everyone saw something flashed on Jiiro's eyes, but only for a brief moment. He glanced at Reina first before replying, "I am. But what I'm feeling is irrelevant. Our mission is to win back peace. That entails recovering the power Raidon had stolen. And whoever shall fight me and stand in my way is my enemy. If Qintaro decides to be my enemy, then I have no choice but to fight him." With that said, Jiiro left the room.

"He's more bothered than he's willing to let on," Deity commented.

"I'll go after him," Reina told everyone before following her brother out of the room.

"I agree with Jiiro. We might not like it and we might regret it for the rest of our lives, but we have to fight them. And not just fight them, we must defeat them. Everything is at stake here," Trion remarked.

"But defeating is different from killing. And it's scary to think that we have to resort into killing them just so we could defeat them," Kai voiced out.

"I don't know if I could live with myself knowing that I killed Sean," Deity said sadly.

"Hey, Dad battled Uncle Heero before and they both survived," Rhys told them. "Uncle Heero defeated Dad but he didn't kill him. And they weren't even friends then. It's the same with Uncle Heero and Athena. So you see, it might not come to the point where we have to kill Miles and the others."

"Maybe. But we still must accept the possibility that we have to kill them. To accomplish our mission," Lee said in a grim tone.

Outside the base, Reina sat on a log while Jiiro leaned against a tree, both staring at the night sky. "You don't want to fight him, huh, Niichan?"

"Of course. No one in his right mind would want to fight his bestfriend," Jiiro replied. "But I have to. You know that, don't you, Reina?"

"Hn. Do what you have to do, Niichan. Don't think about me."

He looked solemnly at her. "You know how alike Qintaro and I are. That once we set our minds onto something, we won't stop until we accomplish it. If neither of us would budge, we might end up killing each other tomorrow."

"It doesn't need to come to that. I don't want to lose either one of you." She took his hand. "I won't lose you, Qintaro nor any of our other friends," she said with conviction.

Jiiro smiled. "And how do you plan to do that?"

Reina smiled back. "I can just be as stubborn as you and Qintaro are."

Jiiro was about to reply when both of them grew alert, their heightened senses picking up something. But whoever the intruder was, he was good. Neither of the twins could pinpoint his exact location. And it was like he was deliberately letting them hear him, though the sound he was making was inaudible to an ordinary human. After a few minutes, their heads jerked to the right and saw their father standing a few feet away.

"I see that you're putting your training to good use," Heero greeted as he walked towards them.

"Of course we are. We want you to be proud of us," Reina said with a smile.

"I've always been proud of you both," Heero stated, leaning on the tree next to Jiiro. "What are you two doing out here, by the way?"

"We just wanted to get some fresh air," Reina responded. "How about you, Tousan?"

"The same." Silence. After a moment, Heero asked, "Thinking of tomorrow's battle?" The twins nodded. "You'll do fine. I believe in all of you."

"Believing is one thing. Actually winning the battle and accomplishing the mission is another," Jiiro stated.

Heero couldn't help but smile upon hearing his son's remark. Jiiro clearly took after him. There was also a time when he shared the same philosophy. But everything changed the day he met Relena. "Before going out to face Zechs during the Eve Wars, I asked your Kaasan to believe in me. And she did. Her belief in me was the reason I managed to accomplish my mission and survived. I hope our belief in you kids will help you too."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Tousan. And I promise that we won't put your belief in us to waste," Reina said as she stood up. She knew that her brother was still troubled and that their father could help him more than she could. "I'm going back inside now. Goodnight, Tousan. Goodnight, Niichan."

"Goodnight," the two guys chorused. Reina inserted her ring into the ring slot and went inside the camouflaged door.

Father and son remained in a companionable silence long after Reina had left. Finally, Jiiro said, "I really appreciate your belief in us, Tousan. You don't know how much that meant to us. And I'm sorry if I sounded rude earlier."

"No need to apologize. I understand," Heero told him. Two pairs of Prussian blue eyes stared right into each other. "What's really bothering you, Jiiro?"

Jiiro sighed. He might as well tell his father. Maybe he could help him. "It's about facing Qintaro tomorrow."

"Stygma's pilot?"

Jiiro nodded. "It's not that I'm chickening out. I know what I have to do. And I'm willing to do anything to ensure the success of the mission tomorrow. But the thought of killing my bestfriend and the would-be boyfriend of my sister doesn't sound so appealing to me. And I don't know if I could ever forgive myself once that happens."

"Hn," Heero acknowledged as he looked up the sky. "Unlike you and Qintaro, Zechs and I weren't exactly friends when we fought. We respected each other as soldiers, as kindred spirits if you like, but that's it. I could just kill him. We have no personal attachments. And killing him would end the war. But I know that he's Relena's brother. In any ordinary circumstance I could care less, but I did care then. I don't want to make Relena sad. At the end, I managed to accomplish my mission without sacrificing Relena's happiness." Jiiro looked at him questioningly. "What I'm trying to say is that there are times when you don't need to kill in order to accomplish a mission or defeat an enemy."

"But how would I know when I don't need to kill and when I do need to kill in order to defeat an enemy?"

"You'll know. I always told you to act on your emotions, didn't I? Do whatever you feel is the right thing to do. Zero will guide you."

Jiiro pondered on his father's words. Somehow, things seemed to make more sense now. "Thanks, Tousan."

"Hn. Let's get back inside. You need to be well-rested for the battle tomorrow."

Athena saw Reina got out of the glass tube. "Where's Jiiro?"

"He's still up there, talking with Tousan," Reina answered as she headed to the kitchen. She took out a carton of milk from the refrigerator and poured herself a glass. She leaned against the counter and drank her milk as she stared off to space.

Athena noticed this so she went to the kitchen, poured herself some coffee and sat down in front of her. "How's everyone holding up?"

"Ok, I guess. We're not having any pre-war jitters if that's what you're asking," Reina replied, still staring off.

"So what's the matter then? I noticed that you and the others were a little subdued after the training."

Reina looked at her. "We're just bothered about the idea that our friends are our enemies."

Athena nodded. "I was worried about you kids the first time I've discovered about Qintaro and the others being the new Gundam pilots. I know that you hang out together at school. But I didn't know that you're that close. At least you're not going to face any of them in battle."

"True. But I still feel sorry for the others. Rhys and Miles, Kai and Ren, Trion and Dean, Lee and Colin, Niichan and Qintaro --- they are all bestfriends. Then there's Sean and Deity who like each other. Just think how hard it would be for them to fight each other."

Athena didn't miss the slight softening in Reina's voice when she mentioned Qintaro's name. And she remembered Reina muttering his name when they saw the pictures that afternoon. "What about you, Reina?"

"What about me? My bestfriend? You know that Deity is my bestfriend."

"What I mean is, what's the deal with Qintaro, hmm?" Athena asked with a grin.

Reina blushed. "He's a close friend."

"Is that all?"

"Umm, Lee told me that everyone at school thinks that we have this 'thing' going on."

"And do you?"

"I don't know. I mean, I like him a lot and I think he likes me back but there's nothing official about anything. We were supposed to go to a dance next week, though. But he cancelled because he needed to go home for a family emergency. Now I know what kind of family emergency it was --- launching a coup on ESUN."

Athena smiled. "You know, I remember having this kind of conversation with your mother when we were younger. I was teasing her about Heero. Hey, I think you're experiencing the same thing your mother went through when she was 15. The guy she likes and her brother had to face each other in a battle to bring peace to the ESUN. What a coincidence huh." Reina laughed at the thought. Athena then gazed at her tenderly. "I can see her in you. Especially when you smile. Actually, I can see both her and Heero in you."

Reina smiled at her. "Kaasan would really be happy once she finds out that you're alive. She missed you."

"And I miss her. She's the first friend I ever had." Athena's eyes then got that far-away look. "I kinda know how you and the others are feeling right now. I was ordered to infiltrate the Congregation as Relena's assistant during Operation Domino. But becoming real friends with her was not part of the mission parameters. It just happened. She always had that effect on people. And the thought that I was fooling her and that one day I had to kidnap her or much worse, kill her gnawed at me night and day. But I still proceeded with the mission. It was the most difficult mission I ever had. And I had many missions before. It's harder for you, having to face this kind of situation in your very first mission --- a mission so crucial it will decide the fate of the ESUN forever."

"However difficult and whatever the cost, I just hope that we win tomorrow, that we win back peace," Reina said. "And I hope that I wouldn't be a disappointment to you," she added in a soft voice.

"You will never disappoint me, Reina. You're just as I expected you to be, and so much more. I wouldn't have found a better successor. As for tomorrow's battle, I'm certain that you'll pull it off. We believe in all of you. It's high time you believe in yourselves."

Athena and Reina then turned their heads at the same time and saw Heero and Jiiro coming out of the glass tube. "Ok, princess, time for bed. We'll be leaving early tomorrow," Athena told her.

Reina placed her glass inside the dishwasher then asked, "Do you have any last advice to give me?"

Athena smiled. "Always remember that you and the HAVOC are one and the same. Your strength is his strength, his pain is your pain. And like what your father said, the only way to live a good life is to act on one's emotions. Do what you feel is the right thing to do, Reina. Even if ordered otherwise."

"Thanks, Athena. For everything. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

After finishing the last minute preparations for the attack the next day, Heero went to the girls' room. He stood by Reina's bed, silently gazing at her sleeping form. She looks so much like you, Relena. If only you could see her and Jiiro now, you'll be proud of them. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. He saw Reina smile in her sleep. He then went to Deity's bed, also planting a kiss on her forehead. He smiled when he heard her mumble, "Dad, use your own hairbrush. And don't eat all the lamb chops. Leave some for me."

Afterwards, he went to the room he shared with the boys. He stood by the doorway, silently gazing at the 5 sleeping kids on their beds. He saw Athena planting a goodnight kiss on each of the boys' foreheads. A small smile tugged on his lips. Time had surely flown really fast. It seemed like just yesterday when those kids had their first words, their first steps. Now, they were so grown up. In fact, they were so grown up that they were actually headed to war tomorrow in their own Gundams where they would taste their first mission, their first kill. He wasn't exactly looking forward to that kind of 'first' in their lives, no parent would. If only he could, he would stop tomorrow from coming. But that was impossible. He might be the Perfect Soldier but there were things that only a God could do.

Those kids --- Rhys, Kai, Deity, Trion, Lee and the other pilots' kids, he regarded them as his own children. Having been through a lot together, he and the others saw themselves as a family, a one big family and he would be damned if he would let anything happen to any of them. He would kill anyone who would dare hurt any member of his family.

"Don't worry about them. We've trained them well. They'll win," Athena said when she approached him.

"I know. I just can't keep myself from worrying about them. I think it comes with the territory of being a parent," Heero replied. "Tomorrow would be their first mission. Do you remember your first mission?" he asked her.

"Yes. You?"

"Hn. Nobody ever forgets his first kill. No matter how hard he tried." He stopped for a moment then continued, "I never wished for tomorrow to come. I just hope that it'll be their first and last mission."

"As do I. Go to bed, Heero. We have a full day tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Heero told Athena. He went to Jiiro's bed, kissed him on the forehead and whispered, "I'm proud of you," before going to his own bed.