Chapter 8: Evil Reborn

In the unknown OZ base the man known as General Whitenburg was in one of his worst moods to date. It had been three days since his prized project had disappeared and no solution was being offered. He knew that she had to have been captured, most likely by the Preventers, but he couldn't risk launching a retrieval mission. They couldn't spare a single mobile suit or soldier to do it for they no longer had the necessary supplies. For some unknown reason their 'importing' plan had suddenly skidded to a halt about six months ago. They were unable to contact their resources anymore so no more materials came in. Although they did have an incredibly large army of mobile suits, they would have to use them sparingly, ever since rumors that the Gundams were back were confirmed. He didn't really care about it that much since he still held a trump card, but he needed her in order for it to work.

"Haven't you gotten a transmission to her yet?" he said in a low and even voice. He wasn't the kind of man to shout but his voice always held a dangerous underlining to it that was scarier than any amount of yelling. This kind of quiet and restrained anger was what frightened the soldiers around him.

"No, sir. We were able to get faint signals from the unit's transmitter but they disappear completely at night. We think that they keep her in a secured room at night to prevent her from escaping," one of the console operators answered, little beads of sweat were forming on his forehead.

"I am well aware of that. I just want you to send a transmission to her, and I don't care how you do it," the man retorted as he eyed the soldier dangerously.

"Well, sir, the thing is, since her signals are weak the signals that we send her are also weak, too weak for her to acknowledge," he said after a few seconds of trying to find the right words.

"I don't care, we have to send her a transmission and tell her to get back here. We can't proceed any further without her," was his cold and harsh reply.

"We can send a message to the unit but that would mean that we would have to use more power in order for the frequency to break through... but it would still only guarantee us enough time for a very short message," another operator spoke up nervously.

"Why wasn't I told of this earlier?" the General asked coldly which caused the hairs on the soldiers' necks to stand on end.

The man waited, trying to summon all of his courage in order to reply without faltering. "Well, sir, if we boost the power up too high we would risk damaging the circuits on the unit."

"If this were any other situation I wouldn't take the chance, but we have to get her back," General Whitenburg started out slowly. "There's no telling how much they've already found out. Rei has the ability to break out of there, but she won't leave the area until we order her to. So when you pick up the signal again, send the message that she is to complete her mission; that is all you need to say." With one last threatening glare the general left the room.//I did not spend the last three years planning OZ's return to have it all shattered to pieces just because I couldn't get a key component back. Never. OZ will rise once more and power will be ours again. No longer will we have to submit ourselves to the demands of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. We will make all the decisions just like before the Eve Wars, and I will be the one in charge. I've worked too hard for this! Neither the Gundam pilots, the Sank Kingdom, nor the Preventers will stand in my way!//

The entire room was silent for a while after the man left then a loud sigh of relief filled the entire area. "Geez, I don't know who I'd rather face in a battle, the Gundams or him."

"I know what ya mean."

The rain was unrelenting as it continued to pour down in and around the area of the Preventer's Headquarters. Dark gray clouds filled the sky, and the sound of thunder and the flash of lightning occasionally boomed through the air. No one in the surrounding neighborhood was anywhere to be seen as they had already taken refuge inside their homes as soon as the rains began to fall.

Now and then a dog or cat would run across the streets, trying to seek shelter under a box or some other sort of makeshift sanctuary. Then there were the cars that zoomed along the streets, splashing water onto the sidewalks as they drove by. Through the curtains of water a lone silhouette could be seen fighting against the weather, walking as if the wetness around it was non-existent. Trudging along with a quiet determination and a silence that seemed to absorb it, the silhouette suddenly halted. Looking up to the sky it let the water caress its pale face and it blinked as water neared its deep red eyes.//So soft... so gentle... so peaceful... so safe...//

Earlier that morning...

Sally and Heero were seated at two computer panels overlooking the data that they had collected over the past three days. Slowly they were starting to figure out the devices that were planted on Rei's head. They knew that they were affecting her brain somehow, possibly blocking the memories of who she really was. However, they weren't sure which one of the three was doing it, especially since they couldn't isolate them without removing them or hurting the girl. The possibility that all three were working in accordance with each other seemed likely as well but they couldn't be sure.

Rei was still in her cell since Sally didn't need to run any more tests on her until they sorted out their other information. Over the past days Sally tried to break through the girl's mind by letting her spend the free time she had in between tests with Milliard, Noin, and the pilots. Heero, however, refused to be a part of it and kept to himself while the others talked to the girl. Rei herself didn't do much during those times. She just stayed quiet and sat down while the others conversed about things she obviously knew nothing about. They were the enemy, that she did not deny, but in the recesses of her mind something told her that they would never hurt her, at least not intentionally. The only one she wasn't sure of was the young man with the intense gaze, but then her mind moved to the time where he took that bullet for her. She wasn't sure of anything about him so she knew that she had to be wary of him.

"Heero, come over here and take a look at these chemical readings," Sally gestured to him, and he rolled his seat until it was next to hers. She also moved so that the young man could take in all the information that was presented on the screen. "See here," she pointed to a few lines on the monitor, "these are the chemicals that are going through her body."

"Yeah. So what?" he asked in his usual low voice.

"Well, in a way they would look normal since she's relaxed during these times, but if you take a look over at these other readings," she said as she moved her finger a couple of lines down, "these are the kind one would get when one is in a fight for their life."

"So?"

"So, usually when one is in such a situation, those chemicals, such as adrenalin, take over. They try to compensate for the body's exhaustion by sending that person into a blind rage where they don't know what's going on around them. Rel er... Rei's," she corrected herself when Heero gave her his patented death glare, "chemical levels during the training tests that we gave her are extremely high yet she still stays calm. I mean these are the type of levels one would get when one is about to attempt a last act of desperation."

"So one of those devices is causing the amount of chemicals she uses during a fight or mission to go to its limits so that she'd have an advantage. At the same time one of the other two is keeping control over her brain activities so that she doesn't go berserk," he finished, summing up what she would have said in his monotone voice.

"Uh huh. Those devices may be sophisticated, but they're too small to do all that individually.... HmmÖ At those levels anyone would go berserk and try to kill everything in sight," the doctor commented as she leaned back in her chair. "And if you add the fact that she is now a trained assassin, you come out with one very serious problem."

"Would that explain her red eyes?" Heero asked as he clicked a button to call forth a detailed mapping of Rei's right eye.

"Maybe... or maybe that problem is being caused by the third one. *sigh* I guess we should get started on them again," stretching out a bit first she then leaned forward in her chair and pressed a button on the table. "Quatre, could you go down and bring Rei here? We're ready to start the new tests."

"Alright, Sally. I'm on my way," Quatre's sweet, innocent voice called back through the intercom.

"Heero..." the woman called out as she concentrated on the computer monitor, "do you think that we'll get anywhere today? Heero?"

"....."

*FLASHBACK*

"So Heero, what have you found out thus far?" the old man said with a gleam in his eyes.

Keeping his face stern and his eyes fixed on his mentor the young man began. "OZ has been training her for our type of missions," he stated, "and it seems that she is very capable of handling them."

"Oh?" he questioned with rising interest in his voice.

"Her training is very similar to mine. Would you care to explain why?" Heero's eyes then became hard, and his voice was threatening.

"It would seem that OZ found the archives to your training and are putting them to good use," the old man answered in amusement.

"How?" His patience was wearing thin, and his voice became deadly.

"Remember when OZ took me and the other scientists into their custody?" Dr. J started as his mind went back to that moment in time, "Well, it appears that they also raided our labs. Most likely to try and find out information about the Gundams. Ha ha ha... I guess they found it... along with some other goodies."

"Hn." His eyes narrowed, and his glare could have burned a hole through solid steel.

"I guess that means you've got some competition, eh, Heero?" the old man's amusement growing at the thought of his 'Perfect Soldier' going up against the once peace-minded Vice Foreign Minister.

*END FLASHBACK*

The girl's face was still expressionless. Even in sleep she looked liked a corpse while most people took on a serene and content appearance. But she was glad that she wouldn't be called upon 'til later, allowing her to get the extra hours of sleep that were lost when that boy kept watch over her. Those eyes began to haunt her in her usually dreamless slumber. There was just something in those eyes that was hauntingly familiar for she would sometimes get a sense of both fear and safety whenever she looked into them. It wouldn't seem strange to most people, but it was odd to her for she never felt like that before, even when facing certain death. Shrugging off that thought she concentrated on getting her much needed rest.//My mission is on hold until further notice. I can do nothing now but bide my time.... Why do these people act like that around me? Why are they being so nice?.... It doesn't matter; if they choose to act that way, then let them. It is none of my concern. However, if they choose to get in my way, then I will have no other choice but to eliminate all obstacles.//

"Rei," the sound of the blonde pilot's voice immediately woke her up from her thoughtful nap. "Dr. Sally Po wants to see you. You'll be running more tests again today."

The girl nodded her head, jumped out of the bed, adjusted her tank top and shorts, and waited until the boy opened the door to her cell. Once that was done she stepped outside and felt the familiar touch of the gun being pointed at her back. Some of the pilots had argued that they shouldn't have to use the gun any more since it was obvious that she wasn't going to attempt anything. However, Heero had argued against it so strongly that they had no other choice but to keep up the practice. No matter what she did Heero never let himself trust anything the girl did, mostly because she reminded him too much of himself.

"Did you sleep well today?" he asked, trying to get a conversation going as they walked, but soon realized that this girl wasn't going to open her mouth any time soon, so he continued to himself. "I didn't get much sleep myself. Even though there's a wall separating our rooms, I can still hear Duo's snoring.... Um... Did you know that it's raining today? Yeah, it's really pouring so everybody's decided to stay here until it lets up a bit. Wufei's not too happy since he had to find another place to meditate..." Seeing that it was useless to continue any further he stopped with the chitchat as they made their way through the corridor.

When they headed up the stairs the girl slowed down a bit and then stopped as she turned her head to the left then to the right and finally up. Shaking off the feeling she continued to let herself be led to the usual room where she did all her tests. She wasn't supposed to let them find anything out about her; that was the direct order from General Whitenburg, but then again she was to try and stay alive at all costs. The man didn't want her die so he told her that in the event that she was captured she was to see if she could escape without getting harmed. However, if escape was deemed impossible at the moment then she'd have to put the mission on hold until they could get a transmission to her.//Orders are to be followed without question.//

"Good morning, Rei," the doctor greeted her. "Did you enjoy your sleep?" Getting no response she led the girl over to the usual chair and gestured her to sit down. "Today, we're going to place these sensors on your body so that we can monitor you while you fight."

"Uh, fight? W-Who will she be fighting?" Quatre asked suspiciously when he got a strange feeling in his stomach.

"Well, I was thinking of you guys. I want to see how well you Gundam pilots would do against a special OZ soldier should there happen to be more than just her," she answered with a wicked grin on her face. "So how about it, Rei? Think you can handle these guys?... Rei?"

Rei had an unusual look of concentration and pain on her face as she looked past Sally to the back wall of the room.//::Rei, complete assigned mission using tactic number three and return to base::... Ryoukai.// Her gaze cleared, and she was looking at the doctor again, a slight smile creeping on her face. She had just been given the green light to escape, but the tactic that they ordered her to use seemed somewhat questionable. Still, orders were orders.... Then she felt a slight pain in her head. "Yes, Sally?" she replied shakily.

The people in the room just stood, their mouths open, and a look of disbelief adorning their faces. It was as if they had just seen a ghost or something while the girl had a polite smile on her face. "S-She... she talked back, and she called you Sally!" Quatre popped in as he continued to stare at her with wide eyes. "This is the first time she's ever called any one of us by our names... the first time she's talked to us without us having to force her to."

"Relena?" the doctor called out hesitantly.

"Yes?" the girl responded with a sweet smile on her face.

"How are you feeling? Do you remember anything about the past nine months?" she questioned with hope in her voice.//I don't know what just happened, but this could be the break we were waiting for. Maybe one of those things short-circuited, and she's gone back to being herself again.//

"Not really, Sally. The last thing I remember was being in a dark cell and then... I'm... here? H-how did I get here and what do you mean the past nine months?" her voice held a tinge of worry and surprise. She looked frantically around the room and spotted Quatre then Heero. "Would someone please tell me what's going on?"

Quatre and Sally's faces brightened, and Sally directed Heero to go get the others while they started to relate to her the events that had happened so far. They told her how they were doing and that the Gundams were back along with their progress with OZ, however, the girl frowned when she was told of what she had done at those military bases. With that they accounted to her all the deaths that she had caused and her eyes sadden. "Did I succeed in that last mission?" she asked with her head hung low.

"No, you didn't. We were able to stop you before you got back to OZ with the disk." Quatre softly replied as he laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh. Where is it now?"

"In there," he answered, pointing to a computer across the room. "Heero was taking a look at it."

She suddenly got up and slowly walked to where the console was and lightly traced her fingers over the keyboard. Pushing a button, she ejected the disk and began observing it. "So this is it?" her voice was somber but curious.

"Yeah," the Arabian said, nodding his head as he made his way to the girl. Her innocent curiosity made him smile, reminding him of the children back on L4. He beamed when she looked at him and smiled back.//She's really back. I'm so glad that it happened before we had to do something drastic...// Then he felt a pain in the back of his neck, and his world turned black as he fell to the floor.

The girl's face saddened when she glanced down at him but it was quickly replaced with the familiar cold mask as she silently made her way to the doctor. The girl was swift and quiet with her action, and Sally fell without realizing what had just taken place. The girl's red eyes then wandered around the room until they finally fell upon a black and silver flight suit. Knowing that she had little time she briskly suited up and placed the disk back into its chest pocket. She surveyed the room once more, looking for a way to escape knowing that she couldn't leave through the front door.//... Air ducts.//

Letting the rain fall on her face for a few more seconds she brought her face forward once more. She then burst into a sprint to close the distance between her and the airport where she was headed. After a few minutes she was at the airport's wire gates and was quickly scaling them with great ease. Being careful of the barbed wires at the top she soon found herself on the other side of the barrier. Taking off into another sprint Rei headed in the direction of the hanger that housed her ride out of there.

In a matter of moments the girl was at the building's huge doors. Shooting the lock off with the gun that she had confiscated from Quatre earlier she was soon inside and out of the rain. Rei's eyes darted around the room as she scanned it for a suitable plane or carrier for her to use. After a while she settled her gaze on a small plane knowing that the larger carriers would draw too much attention. Once inside the plane she checked the gauges to see if everything was in order and if she had enough fuel for her destination. Satisfied with the plane's condition she pressed a button to open the hanger's larger doors. Once they were opened the sound of the plane's engines filled the entire room and in a flash the aircraft was making its way out and into the sky.

During the entire flight she couldn't help but feel a slight pain in the back of her mind. It made her feel bad about the things she had done earlier that morning.//Guilt?// She shook her head no because she knew she couldn't feel those things. Her thoughts then went to the tests that those people had done on her and wondered if they were the cause for it. She recalled those tests and tried to see if any one of them could have had this effect on her. When nothing came to mind she quickly shook off those thoughts, and once more she concentrated her mind on the mission at hand.

After flying for less than an hour she looked out the window of the cockpit to observe the surrounding area. Rei then spotted the naval base in the distance, the one that was still left intact except for where her explosions landed. She couldn't risk getting too close for she didn't know if they were fully operational or not. Staying just far enough away to not be considered a threat, she landed in a clearing that was near a forest around the base. Her mind went back to the transmission that told her to complete her mission. The only problem was that she no longer had her explosives with her since those damned people took them all away. Realizing that she would have to use her backup she headed into the forest.

Making her way past thick shrubbery and tall pines she followed the path that she had etched into mind days earlier. The mission was a simple one but instincts told her that things wouldn't turn out the way she'd want so she had no choice but to take precautions. Ducking under a low branch she was soon standing near a large pile of leaves and branches. Reaching under the pile the girl pulled out something that resembled a jamming device but much larger. She pushed one of its buttons to turn it off then she placed her hand on the pile of shrubbery. With a quick tug the foliage came tumbling down in a cascade of green.

The object located underneath the camouflage was a Gundam that was sitting down with its back against a cliff, one that frighteningly resembled the Epyon but not quite so. It was the same blood red color but the frame of the Gundam was smaller, more slender than its predecessor. This most likely allowed the machine more agility, maneuverability, and speed, not that the one before it was lacking any. The curves were also smoother, and parts such as the legs and arms looked more like that of the other Gundams. Sprawled across the ground was the familiar heat rod that was attached to its shield. Looking higher one could see the same old wings, but now there were four of them. Higher yet was the same devil-like face that the girl was strangely drawn to.//Home?//

Eight months ago...

A girl of eighteen with honey blonde hair was standing quietly in front of a desk while a man standing next to her was yelling at the person behind the wooden furniture.

"Sir, please reconsider this," a young man with reddish blonde hair and light brown eyes pleaded. "I should be the one piloting the Neo Epyon not her. I'm the best pilot here at the base while she's not even capable of piloting a standard Leo much less a Gundam. This girl is way too weak to handle the controls and g-forces that she will experience in flight."

"Captain Dereks," General Whitenburg began in his cold voice, "you forget that this Gundam contains the exact same ZERO system as the original. To my knowledge no ordinary OZ soldier has been able to master it and the only two people who've done so are Zechs Merquise and the Gundam pilot known as Heero Yuy."

"I know that, sir, but they were exceptional pilots with amazing physical abilities. I'm pretty sure that I can do just as well if I were given that kind of special training," Dereks replied with hope in his voice.

"You're not listening, Captain Dereks," the general said impatiently. "The other Gundam pilots had a shot at that system as well but they weren't able to master it despite their piloting skills. To be able to master that thing they needed something more than just physical strength. We believe that in order to control the ZERO system one needs a strong mind that can truly focus without faltering. Those two had an unbreakable sense of determination because they were both fighting for something that obviously meant more to them than their very own lives. That is what is needed to master such a thing, a strong will and determined mind."

The general waited until the younger man absorbed the information before continuing again. "Miss Darlian over here has both of those. You see the way she fights for the world's peace, always focused on her goals and never bowing down to demands from others if she sees them unfit." He noticed the man about to speak again but quickly cut him off, "I know you may think that it's because of the Tamashii units we implanted in her head but you're wrong. When we developed the unit less than a year ago we tested them on a few other soldiers and had them go through the ZERO system. The ZERO system proved too powerful and overrode the units' command, and they went berserk."

"What?" the brown-eyed man asked in confusion.

"The Tamashii units only go so far as to control the subject's mind during a field operation. However, the ZERO system disables the unit that keeps the soldier calm during the intense adrenalin rush. It only does that when the system is in use but because of that they go even crazier when it mixes the ZERO system's mind warping effects with the adrenalin and other chemicals," he paused to catch his breath. "Miss Darlian here has the kind of mind we need, one that is unwavering and dedicated, totally focused. Not one soldier here in OZ has that, and you are one of them."

"But, dammit... she's still too weak to be able to handle it," he retorted in his last act of desperation.

"The body can be trained to become strong in a matter of months but with the mind that would take years. Right now we don't have that."

Climbing her way up the metallic monster Rei soon reached the area of the cockpit. Pressing a button located near it, she opened it and jumped inside. Strapping herself in she closed the cockpit's entrance and activated her Gundam. Its eyes glowed green as it awakened from the three day slumber and proceeded to get to its feet. Inside the small compartment the screens lit up and the humming of the engines could be heard. The girl closed her eyes momentarily to get used to the feel before she made her way to the naval base.

Moving the Gundam's arm up, she reached for something that was located on its back. What she produced was a sword, not the familiar beam sword but one that was solid. It was the length of a regular beam sword but it was made of finely tempered Gundanium, much like Sandrock's heat shotels. However, unlike those weapons the blade was slightly parted in the middle, leaving a small two-inch gap that ran from the hilt to the tip. The sword itself was very beautiful, double-edged and resembling something that would come out of a fantasy novel. With it the Neo Epyon looked like some dark knight coming to destroy a village, which really wasn't far from the truth.

As the demon-like machine neared the base its grip on the sword tightened, and the weapon began to hum and vibrate while emitting a strange reddish glow. Unleashing a swift slash the blade sliced through the main building like it wasn't even there and caused explosions to erupt from it. Then it whipped the heat rod around and destroyed the laser cannons positioned on another building. It quickly demolished the naval base within minutes and then it transformed into its flight mode and flew away leaving behind the smoldering rubble without a second thought.