***Part 7***

A low rumbling was heard far off in the distance, disturbing the stillness of the hotel room in which Heero was sleeping. The rumbling became louder and louder and soon the room shook. Heero sprang out of bed, opened the door and stepped out into the hall, where the other Gundam pilots were emerging.

"What the--" began Duo.

"It almost sounds like--" Quatre started.

"Mobile Dolls," Wufei finished the wide-eyed blonde's sentence.

"They've found her," Duo gasped.

"We don't know that," Trowa said, trying to be reasonable.

"Let's go check it out," said Heero, having a bad feeling about the whole thing.

The pilots ran down the stairs and out of the hotel, still in their pajamas. Out in the streets of the small town, people were watching the scene that had now awoken everyone. Two mobile dolls, unlike any model the pilots had ever seen, landed on the edge of town and seemed to be directing their attention to one house in particular. The pilots ran through the street in the direction of the action, but the suits were already taking off when the boys got there. The Dolls blew up the little house as they disappeared into the cloudy night sky.

"Whose house was that?" Quatre asked a lady next to them who was watching the scene in horror.

"That...that was Miss Swift's house," the woman trembled as she spoke.

"Who?" he asked again.

"Miss Emilia Swift, that nice young equestrian teacher. They've kidnapped her!" the woman cried.

"Oh God," gasped Quatre.

"And to think, we were here the whole time. We're supposed to be protecting her." Duo said angrily, gritting his teeth.

Heero only turned and started back to the hotel. The others followed. They grabbed their things and headed towards the shuttle that would take them back to the Cinq Kingdom and their Gundams.

The pilots arrived at the palace just as the sun was rising. Noin and Zechs were already waiting for them in the Hangar, worried looks streaked across their faces. "When you told us what happened, we got the Gundams ready as soon as we could," said Noin, "At the Preventers' Headquarters, Sally was able to locate Dark Storm's base. It's on an island in the South Pacific. We think they wanted us to find it."

"So if we go there, we're heading into some sort of a trap?" Duo asked.

"It looks that way," replied Noin. While the rest of the gang thought about what to do, Heero was already getting into his Gundam.

"What are you doing, Heero?" Quatre yelled up to him.

"I'm going to the base," Heero said.

"But we don't have a plan," Quatre pointed out.

"The plan is to get Relena back," said Heero coldly. It was apparent to everyone he was angry. His usual emotional barrier wasn't holding up so well.

He contacted Headquarters and received the coordinates of the base, then zoomed off in Wing Zero, leaving the others scrambling to follow him.

"I will find you, Relena," Heero said aloud, "Don't give up on me, not yet."

Relena woke up as she was being thrown into a room. She held her head as she heard the door lock. "Where am I?" she thought, "I must have been knocked unconscious." Then she remembered the Mobile Dolls. "Oh, what a mess I've got myself into this time," the princess said aloud, "this must be the work of Dark Storm."

Relena looked around the room. It was nice, surprisingly, with a bed, a washroom and a couple of chairs and a table. Tired, she walked to the bed, when something on it caught her eye. Relena looked at the white silk dress that had been laid out for her. "I guess it's better that what I have on," she said as she looked down at her pajamas, which were dirty and torn from the kidnapping. Relena proceeded to put on the dress and wash herself up. She looked at a pair of wings that were still on the bed. "Why are their angel wings, too? Does he actually expect me to wear these?" Relena thought.

Just then the door opened and a dark, shrew-like man walked in, followed by two of his minions. "Jasper Hollowfax, I presume," Relena said maintaining a calm composure.

"Relena, you look just stunning, except...oh my...you forgot your wings," Jasper said in a psychotically sweet tone.

"I didn't want to wear them," she said plainly.

"Oh, but you must," the general said as he gave a flick of the wrist and his two companions forced the wings onto Relena. Even though she looked beautiful in them, Relena was not in the mood to play dress up.

"My little angel!" Jasper sighed as he smiled slyly.

"You're crazy," said Relena as she shook her head.

"Miss Peacecraft, you have no idea," he agreed. He pulled a chair out for her and sat down at the table, motioning for her to join him. "Come now, let's have a chat," he said. Relena sat down.

"Drinks?" Jasper asked. "I need some drinks here," he looked around angrily. Suddenly, a maid appeared with a tray of glasses and a bottle of wine.

"Now isn't this nice?" Jasper said as he poured the wine. "Relena, you do realize you are a hindrance to my plans. I'm sure you also know that I'm going to have to kill you."

Relena nodded sadly. "But I have to live, for the peace of the colonies, for the world. I am not about to lose the peace I've worked so hard to gain," Relena said and noticed her pleas were having no effect on the general, but decided to continue anyway. "And I must live, for a man, a man who is dead inside, but must be taught how to live."

Jasper looked at the girl who had just poured her heart out to him. "Well, my dear, I'm sorry to see such a determined spirit go, but your peace is the very thing that is in my wayalong with the Gundams."

"You know the Gundams will come for me. They will save me...he will save me," stated Relena.

"I hope they do, Miss Peacecraft, I'm counting on it," he said as he took as a sip of wine and studied the girl. "So this 'he', this man you speak of, is a Gundam Pilot?" Jasper asked interested in the matter. "Gundam pilots are trained killers, why should he care so much to save you?"

"He--" Relena started. "He always comes," she said decidedly.

Jasper noticed that the girl must have strong feelings for the Gundam pilot. The general was now quite amused. "An angel in love with a devil! How can that be?" he laughed.

"He is not a devil," Relena countered. Then with a fondness in her voice continued, "He is my dark angel, and slowly he is turning his face towards the light." Visions of Heero raced through her mind. His face, those eyesthe color of twilight turning into night. The girl looked at Jasper and her face reddened. She was angry now and continued speaking sharply with more power than she knew she had, "But you, Mr. Hollowfax, will always be cast in the shadows. You are a demon and I wish you would go back to the fiery depths from which you came!"

The general looked surprised at her outburst. Relena's face then grew weary. "Leave us at peace," she added, almost in a whisper.

Jasper's eyes narrowed. "Peace? Peace does not exist. It is an illusion of innocence, which you, Miss Peacecraft, are fostering within the people. I, however, am not so easily blinded by your fantastic lies. I understand true human nature, in which selfishness, aggression and greed can never be suppressed. In my society of truth, the strong shall rise and the weak shall fall. It is the way things were made to be, it is the natural order."

Relena looked at Jasper in disgust.

"Will you be strong, Relena, and join me in my rule? Or will you die with all the other weaklings?"

"I would never join you, you know that," Relena snapped.

"It was worth a try," the man said with a sigh. "But, oh well, no matter, you will still be put to a good use. After the Gundams are defeated and my army of Mobile Dolls destroys anything in my way, I will become ruler of the entire world and colonies. You, however, will serve as a symbol of my new order. Princess Relena, the 'angel of peace' will be hanged, while all of earth and space are watching. Then my reign of bloodshed will begin!"

"The Gundams will stop you," Relena said confidently. It was at this time she realized that one thing would never, ever change, so she added, "I love him, my Heero, and he will avenge me!"

"Not this time," Jasper sneered, "not this time."

The General got up from the table and went over to Relena. He grabbed her chin roughly and pulled her face close to his. "You'd make a pretty little pet, wouldn't you?" he mused. She threw an elbow at him and managed to break free of his grasp. "And feisty, too. I like that."

"Ugh," Relena sighed, backing away even further.

Jasper looked at the girl. "Maybe I won't hang you, after all. Maybe I'll just keep you for myself. We'll see."

A soldier came into the room and whispered something into Jasper's ear.

General Hollowfax looked pleased as he told Relena, "Don't go anywhere, my little angel, not that you could, anyway. I've got a few Gundam pilots to kill now."

As Jasper left the room, Relena broke down onto the bed and sobbed. Would Heero actually be able to save her this time?