Eternal Flame

Disclaimer: I don\'t own the G Boys, I just borrow them from time to time and return them a whole lot happier ne? :) I do however own Shane, Paul, Colin, Mickey, Benny, Toby, Fayah and any other unfamiliar characters that crop up. I also own the plot if you can call it that.

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Sap, angst, OC, Lemon, Lime, abuse, violence, language.

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4x3, 5xS, OC x OC and maybe some more... check each part to be sure ;)

Archive: http://gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com
http://sweetlysour.net
http://www.adult-fanfiction.org
http://www.theforsakecom/com/

Status: Work in progress.

Beta: DBZVelena, Yami_Tai & Ryouga... *huggles*

Author: ShenLong

Authors notes: *sigh* Well here I am again caving into pressure. I know it has taken a whileget get to this and for that I apologize but I could not come up with a plot I deemed worthy enough.... until now. This is yet another sequel... this time to United Hearts. I did promise I would write the wedding for you all and I intend to do that. For those that haven\'t read United or Lost Souls I recommend that you do, otherwise this sequel will not make much sense. All of your favorite characters are back and up to as much mischief as possible.
This is set fourteen months after the end of United and all the children are older now. The Gundam Pilots are all 20yrs, Shane and Fayah are 16, Paul is 15, Colin is 14, Mickey is 12, Benny is 10 1/2 and not forgetting that little rascal Toby who is 10.
Thank you to all those who supported me through the writing of United, I hope enjoenjoy this just as much.

\"Eternal Flame\"

April 2003 ShenLong

Chapter 28

Quatre bit down hard upon his lip, his heart racing so hard in his chest that he thought it would surely leave his rib cage. He could see the devastation on the screen, feel the pain of the people that had suddenly had their lives terminated and he felt sickened. His head lightened and darkness clouded the edge of his vision. He began to sway and if it were not for Trowa’s firm grasp around his waist, he would have fallen.

Heero watched; a grim expression on his face, Duo clung to his arm as tears threatened to break free. Shane was comforting Fayah on the couch who was sobbing uncontrollably on his shoulder and Wufei… Wufei stood stock still, his black eyes burning fiercely, fists clenching and releasing by his side, rage quivering through every fiber of his being at the unnecessary carnage on the screen.

“Wh… What… Why?…” whispered Duo.

“I have no idea, Duo,” Heero returned as he drew his lover into his arms and stroked his back. “But rest assured, we will find out.”

~ * ~

Bob Martins was woken abruptly, the door to his *prison* being flung open and the sharp light cutting through the darkness, blinding him. He blinked rapidly as his pupils dilated to adjust to the sudden intrusion of light.

“Get up!” The voice snarled at him and when he didn’t comply fast enough he was pulled by the shirt collar from the small makeshift bed. He found himself being led, or rather shoved, along the familiar corridor that led to the main control area. The door opened and he was once more thrust forward to meet with Grant.

“Ahhh, Martins,” the voice drawled. “I hope you had an enjoyable rest period. Now it is time to really show the United Earth Sphere what I am made of.” Grant turned to Bob. “And they will all know eventually that you were the one who made this possible. You will be famous, Martins. Isn’t that what you always wanted? Recognition for your work?”

Bob swallowed hard and took a wary glance around him, the technicians all remained in their various positions, consoles in front of them and the large viewing screen currently showing the army of dolls, forming into what appeared to be troop lines. He ran tired fingers through his thinning hair and over his unshaven chin, wincing at the roughness of the stubble. Grant’s words pierced his mind and he turned to stare at his former commanding officer. Yes, he’d wanted to be recognized for his work… but not in this way. His attention was once more taken by the large viewing screen as the outlook changed from that of the dolls to a much larger metallic structure.

Seeing Martins’ eyes widen, Grant took the opportunity to rub further salt into the already raw wounds. \"Yes, my friend. Now the United Earth Sphere will listen and deliver the Gundam pilot to me once they see what I am capable of. Take note and watch carefully as history is made.” Grant turned to face the head controller. “Are we in range?”

“We will be lined up in 87.3 seconds, sir!”

“Good.” Grant turned back once more to Bob. “Recognize the colony? It’s colony L3X437…”

“The UES delegates’ headquarters?” Bob whispered, his face pale.

“Correct. I’m pleased that you knour our space geography so well.”

Bob began to feel sick

\"Now watch carefully.\"

The view screen continued to display its picture of the colony, the mobile dolls closing the distance between themselves and the structure in a matter of seconds. The dolls simultaneously halted and held their positions. /An army awaiting the order to charge,/ Bob thought to himself. The colony continued to rotate lazily on its axis, completely unaware of the threat assembling off to its port side.

\"Sixty seconds to range,\" the head controller barked. \"Stand by.\"

The remaining console operators began to type furiously on their respective key boards. Grant shifted his position in his chair, leaning forwards to speak to one of the controllers. The controller nodded in response and began to press several buttons on the panel before him. Crossing his legs, Grant turned back to the large screen.

\"Twenty seconds!\"

The dolls on the screen raised their beam rifles in unison, locking them in place and zeroing in on their target. Bob felt the tri of of sweat run down his spine as his heart began to hammer in his chest.

\"Ten seconds!\"

Grant\'s face began to twist into a hideous grin. Here at last was the moment he\'d been waiting for, the beginning of the end to his quest for revenge. He gripped the arm rests of the chair tightly and leaned even further forward, his beady eyes completely focused on the screen.

\"Five seconds.... Four...\"

Bob suddenly lunged at the main control panel. He couldn\'t sit here and watch the mass destruction of so many innocent lives! As his hands scrabbled at the key board so the guards pounced on him. A blow to the side of his head stunned him while the second guard grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him to the floor. A second blow, this time to his kidneys ensured he wouldn\'t be moving very far in the immediate future. He was dragged to his feet, his head exploding with pain and pulled back to his former place.

\"Two... One...\"

dolldolls all fired simultaneously, the golden beams of liquid energy racing across the black void of space and cutting deep into the heart of the space colony. The metal of the colony was no match for the strength of the beams as they cut through the protective barrier as if it were butter. The gold of the beams was followed almost immediately by a white and blue blinding flash as the colony succumbed to the onslaught. Once the hull had been permeated, the pressure differences kicked in and the stetructructure began to cave. Combined with the energy from the beams and the resources inside to keep the colony livable, it was a matter of milliseconds before the inevitable happened. The colony exploded into a fireball of heat, energy and doomed souls.

Bob broke down, tears ran freely from his eyes and his heart tore with pain in his chest. Those innocents... all taken in a fraction of a second and he was responsible for their deaths. Why hadn\'t he tried to kill himself when he first knew what it was that Grant wanted from him? Why had he gone along with the demand? /Because he couldn\'t bear to have his son die.,/ his conscience reminded him. As loathe as he was to admit it, it would have been far better to have sacrificed both himself and Leith than the several thousand souls that had lived upon this now destroyed colony. Bob knew he could never live with himself again.

\"Excellent!\" Grant rubbed his hands together in excitement, his eyes burned with an insane fever. He turned to face the head controller. \"Well done! Now they will listen to me.\"

The head controller gave a small nod of his head in recognition and then turned back to his staff, sending the order to have the dolls recalled and assembled by the satellite.

Grant turned to the controller in front of him. \"Ready?\"

\"Just one moment, sir.\" The controller fiddled with a few dials and switches, then typed a few comm. Th. The screen changed; no longer could the carnage be seen, replaced by an inky blackness that soon changed to fuzzy gray and white lines. \"Line secure, all clear.\" He pressed a couple more buttons. \"You may go ahead, sir.\"

A small camera had risen from the main console panel and now aimed directly at Grant. Grant licked his lips, moistening them and cleared his throat. The large screen flickered and then cleared. Grant\'s image appeared.

Bob watched the screen ilenilence. His entire body ached from the physical abuse but it was nothing compared to the pain in his chest, the hollow feeling that resided there because of the knowledge of what had occurred and his part in it. The satellite control room went quiet as Grant began to speak.

\"People of the Earth and Colonies, I would draw your attention to what has just occurred to Colony L3 X437. Believe me when I state that this was no accident. What I am about to say, I address to the remaining ministers of the United Earth Sphere.\" Grant closed his eyes momentarily then re-opened them; a positively insane look aped ied in their depths. He gave the camera an evil smile. \"The destruction you have witnessed is merely a warning, a display of what I can and will do, if my demand is not met. My name is Grant... Roland Grant and while I do not expect that to mean anything to anyone at the moment, it soon will if you do not comply with my wishes. Somewhere out there, living in peace is a Gundam Pilot, a Gundam Pilot that is responsible for the death of many of my soldiers, friends and family during the war; he is also responsible for the destruction of my military base. My request is simple. I want that Gundam Pilot, I want my revenge, I want my justice. Why should he walk free while I suffer? Somewhere out there he exists, someone knows who he is, despite the lengths that the military has gone to in order to protect his identity. This destruction of the colony is but a show of the power I have and what I will do in order to have what I want. I am not joking, take a look...\" Grant paused and the camera shot of him faded to be replaced by an outside shot of the satellite and the assembled dolls.

Bob drew in a sharp breath.

Grant continued. \"You have seen my army, you have seen the fire power I have. All I ask is that the Gundam Pilot responsible for the annihilation of my base be delivered to me at a location I will send through to the UES headquarters on Earth. Do not, I repeat, do not try to underestimate or undermine me. You have twenty four hours to locate and deliver the Gundam Pilot to me. Failure to do so and the next target will be the Sanq Kingdom. Time is short; I suggest that if you wish to live that you comply with my request. The trade of one Gundam Pilot for the Earth and remaining Colonies safety is a small thing, don\'t you think?\" Grant gave an evil laugh and the connection was cut. Turning to the controller he barked his orders. \"Send the coordinates for the delivery of the pilot to the UES headquarters on Earth.\"

Bob slumped to the floor but soon raised his head when a booted foot slid under his chin. He met with the cold stare of Grant. \"Now we wait,\" Grant said in his cruel tone and then turned his attention back to the guards. \"Take him back, give him something to eat and clean him up a bit, he\'s beginning to smell.\"

Bob found himself dragged to his feet once more and forcibly removed from the room. His shoulders slumped in defeat. It seemed that Grant held the upper hand and would finally get the revenge he craved.

~ * ~

Seconds after the terrifying display of the destruction of the Colony L3 X437, the lounge room of the Yuy - Maxwell residence was bathed in silence. The picture on the television screen changed and a cruel looking face appeared. The five ex pilots stood in shocked silence as the speech was delivered, the only sound to break the silence being the occasional sob from Fayah, who still clung to Shane on the couch.

When the speech finished, the screen went blank and the lounge room exploded with a chorus of concerned and disgusted voices.

\"Who the...\"

\"What the...\"

\"Fuckin bastard...\"

\"Low life mongrel...\"

\"It\'s me, he wants...\"

Six heads turned to look at the Japanese man.

\"Heero! Who say\'s it\'s you he wants?\" Quatre asked as he continued to be supported by Trowa\'s lean frame.

\"Yeah, Yuy. It coulda been any one of us ta wipe out his base, afta all we did destroy so many of the Ozzies bases it\'s kinda hard ta know who\'s was who\'s,\" Duo remarked as he stood back and observed his lover.

\"Maxwell is right, Yuy. Any one of us could have destroyed that base,\" Wufei confirmed in his quiet tone, the anger still flaring in his onyx eyes.

\"Iie.\" Heero sighed. \"I wondered why his name seemed familiar to me. I remember now. J sent me a mission, to destroy one base where OZ was storing mobile suits. I,… I remember the name of the commanding officer; it was on one of those metal plates on a door. I recall seeing it as I was placing the charges...\"

Duo pulled his lover into his arms. \"Well, I got news fer yer, buddy boy. Yer ain\'t goin nowhere.\"

The vid \'phone rang and the group again descended into silence, staring at each other.

\"Is anyone gonna answer that or do I hafta do it again?\" Shane muttered from the couch.

\"I will answer it.\" Heero turned and strode out of the room. Moments later he could be heard talking to the caller, then... \"Duo, would you and the others please come here? Commander Une wishes to speak with us.\"

The remaining four ex pilots obeyed the call, moving out to the hall way where the vid \'phone was. Commander Une\'s serious face greeted them from the screen. \"Gentlemen,\" she stated in a clipped tone. They nodded in reply. \"I take it you have seen the broadcast?\"

\"Hai, we have.\"

\"Then I do not need to stress the urgency, nor the seriousness, of this... problem.\" Une paused. \"I need you all to come to headquarters immediately.\"

\"On our way, Commander.\"

\"Meet me in my office. Une out.\"

\"Roger that.\" Heero cut the call and turned to the rest of the group. \"Let\'s go,\" he said before heading into his and Duo\'s room to grab the small bag he kept packed for emergencies.

Duo went back to the lounge room to inform Shane and Fayah of their departure, Quatre placed a call to confirm that Toby and Benny would be okay and let Rashid know of the current status.

Wufei called Sally.

~ * ~

\"Wufei,\" Sally said as she answered the \'phone. \"Are you going to be much longer?\"

\"Sally, have you beenchinching the television?\"

\"No, I haven\'t. I\'ve been listening to some music, why, is there something wrong?\" Sally clasped the receiver a little tighter.

Wufei swallowed hard. \"Yes, yes, there is.\" He proceeded to bring Sally up to date on the current status, starting with the information that Heero had managed to dig up on Automation Industries, followed by the piecing together of all the facts. He also told her of their suspicion that they would find Leith\'s father somewhere within the group. \"But that is not all...\" Wufei took another deep breath. \"There was a broadcast, just minutes ago. The UES delegates colony... the one known as L3 X437.\" His voice began to hitch.

\"Wufei? What is it? What\'s wrong?\" Sally couldn\'t keep the tinge of panic from her voice.

\"The colony and all its inhabitants... they are no more. The colony has been destroyed.\" There was silence on the other end of the line and Wufei wasn\'t sure if Sally was still there or not. \"Sally? Sally, are you still there?\"

\"Yes, Wufei,\" came the whispered response. \"How? I mean, why? What\'s going on?\"

Wufei continued to speak, giving Sally as much information as he could whilst keeping it as brief as possible. \"I am going to HQ, Une wants us all there. I will contact you once I have more information. In the meantime try not to let Paul or Leith know too much about this. I don\'t know if they would understand it all, but...\"

\"I understand, Wufei. I\'ll try to keep as much of the details from them as I can, but you know Paul...\"

\"Yes, I do.\" Wufei sighed. \"I have to go, I\'ll contact you later.\"

\"Let Une know that if there is anything I can do, all she has to do is call me.\"

\"I will. I\'ll talk to you later and inform you of the status.\"

\"Wufei?\"

\"Yes?\"

\"Be careful.\"

Wufei closed his eyes, a soft smile playing over his lips. \"I will,\" he whispered and then disconnected the call.

~ * ~

\"Yer gonna be okay?\" Shane asked as Duo told him and Fayah of their call to HQ.

\"Yeah, buddy. We\'ll be fine. Someone has ta go sort out these idiots that seem ta think they can just up and take over the peace.\"

Fayah reached out and placed her hand on Duo\'s shoulder. \"Please...\"

Duo smiled and drew the girl into a hug. \"Heero and I will be okay. It\'s just a meetin with Une ta try and sort this mess out. I\'ll call yer both once we know the status and fill yer in on what\'s gonna happen, kay?\"

Fayah nodded and let herself be drawn into Shane\'s arms once again.

\"Duo, time to go.\" Heero appeared in the doorway. \"You two behave while we\'re gone.\"

\"We\'ll be good,\" Shane replied. \"Just go get this insane idiot sorted out.\"

Heero nodded and then took Duo\'s hand, the pair rounding up the remaining three ex pilots and exiting the house.

As the front door closed so Fayah turned her ice blue eyes to meet Shane\'s brown. \"They\'re gonna be okay, ain\'t they?\"

Shane couldn\'t promise something he didn\'t know the answer to, so instead he stroked the girl\'s strawberry blonde hair and held her close to his chest.

~ * ~

Sally stood in thought for a moment and then replaced the receiver to the \'phone. Quickly she went to the bedroom to check on Paul and Leith. She stopped in the doorway, a smile lit up her face as she observed the pair. Both were sound asleep, Leith flat on his back with Paul\'s head resting on his chest, his right arm curled possessively over Paul\'s shoulders. The remainder of Paul\'s body was snuggled against Leith\'s side, one arm trapped underneath him and the other one draped over Leith\'s stomach.

The television was still on but the volume had been turned down until it was almost mute. Shoving off the door jamb, Sally entered the room and switched the television off, then she turned to the sleeping pair. It seemed such a shame to disturb them but she couldn\'t leave Paul in here like this, not that she didn\'t trust him; she did. She just couldn\'t run the risk of any further damage happening to Leith.

Moving back out, Sally went to the spare room, the one that had been set up for Paul to use while Leith was a guest in their home. She pulled the covers back on the bed and switched on the table lamp. Quietly she went back to the other room and moved inside. She stopped and reached out, shaking Paul\'s shoulder gently.

Paul began to stir and his blue eyes flickered open. He was about to speak when Sally placed a finger on his lips and motioned for him to be quiet.

\"Time for bed, Paul,\" she whispered.

Paul nodded sleepily and managed to extract himself from under Leith\'s arm. Carefully he slid from the bed and stood up, a small smile creased his lips as he watched Leith sigh and snuggle into the covers, obviously missing the warmth of Paul\'s body. Quietly he followed Sally from the room and entered his own temporary bedroom. Sighing softly he slipped onto the bed and pulled the covers over himself. He was aware of Sally tucking them in and he buried his head deep into the feather pillow.

\"Good night, Paul,\" Sally said softly and placed a kiss to the teen\'s forehead.

\"Night,\" Paul murmured back.

Sally turned the light off, her eyes lingering a little on the dark haired boy before she returned to Leith\'s room and switched off the light there, once she\'d made sure the youth was still asleep and had a glass of water within easy reach. With her *duties* done, Sally returned to the lounge room and switched off the stereo, replacing it with the television. Each channel was carrying pictures and information, views and responses from all over the place in regards to the carnage and following demands. Seemed that everyone had an opinion on what should be done. With a scotch and coke in hand, Sally sat back on the couch and allowed herself to absorb what had occurred.

~ * ~

Une looked grim as the five agents walked into her office. \"Gentlemen, thank you for responding so quickly. Please, take a seat.\"

The five agents sat, each one fully aware of the probable outcome of this meeting. Heero, however, beat Une to speaking. \"Before we discuss this matter, Commander, I think I should inform you of what we have discovered in relation to the case we were working on, as it is all tied in together.\"

Une rubbed her temples and then gave a weary sigh. \"Go ahead, Agent Light.\"

Heero proceeded to inform Une of their discoveries, from the scrap purchases being traced to Automation industries. He also explained the missing chips and their connection with the company, noting that Grant was a major player in both incidents. As regards Bob Martins, well, that came as a bit of a shock to Une. \"We had started to put the pieces of the puzzle together when Howard contacted Duo and sent us through some interesting footage of what appeared to be a test run of mobile dolls. That pretty much clinched what we were thinking but there was still a vital part of the puzzle missing,\" Heero stated and then paused for a breath.

\"And then this happened?\" Une said, raising an eyebrow.

\"Hai. We didn\'t have a motive or reason for building the dolls. Now we do.\"

\"Hmmm...\" Une steepled her fingers under her chin.

\"It\'s me that he wants,\" Heero stated softly and lowered his eyes.

\"Agent Light, listen and listen carefully as I am only going to say this once.\" Une fixed Heero with a steely glare. \"I will not hand you or any of the other former pilots over to a mad man, regardless of the demands.\"

\"But...\"

\"No buts. I refuse to do it. Now, you can sit there and sulk, or you can help me and the other agents figure out a way to stop this jerk.\"

Heero sighed and slumped in his seat. Duo gave him a squeeze to the shoulder. \"Sorry, buddy, but the day\'s of self destruction have gone. Yer workin fer the Preventers now and blowing yerself up ain\'t on the list of options.\"

\"Both Commander Une and Maxwell are right, Yuy. We cannot just hand you over to this man. We do that and who knows what will be next. It would be like opening the door to any terrorist or want to be ruler and offering them all we have worked so hard for on a silver platter for them to destroy. No, we will find a way to stop this man.\"

\"I hate to remind you, Wufei, but this man has mobile dolls and you know what they are like. In case you had forgotten our Gundams were destroyed. I, for one, do not think we would stand much of a chance fighting against that with the fire power we currently have at our disposal,\' Quatre stated.

Duo\'s cell \'phone chose that moment to ring. The American fished around in his jacket pocket, finally locating the device and with a sheepish grin at Une, he answered the call. \"Howard?\"

The room became silent as Duo took the call. They could only hear the one side of the conversation but judging by Duo\'s face and responses it was clearly a conversation that could offer them some help in their current situation.

\"Okay, Howard, roger that. I\'ll tell the commander. Hang on a sec.\" Duo covered the mouth piece and addressed the room. \"Howard is in space near where all this shit is going down. He has an idea, somethin that can help us get this guy.\"

\"What exactly does he have in mind, Agent Night?\" Une asked, her brow furrowing.

Duo spoke quickly with Howard again and then turned back to the commander. \"He says he can\'t really explain over the \'phone, line ain\'t safe enough. He says ta trust him.\" Duo gazed around at his fellow pilots. \"I dunno about any of the rest of yer but I trust Howie and if he says he can help us, then I reckon he can.\"

\"Unless someone can come up with something else to try in the next hour or so, I really don\'t think we have any other option here,\" Trowa said.

\"If we can get into space and rendezvous with Howard, find out what it is he has in mind, then we can let you know, Commander and go from there.\" Quatre stated.

Une gave a defeated sigh and nodded.

\"Okay, Howie. Ball\'s in yer court, man.\" Duo proceeded to get the finer details from Howard while Une impressed upon the other four that was was to be informed immediately of what the intended plan was to be and she had to approve it before they could go ahead.

Duo disconnected his call and faced the commander. \"Howard will meet us at the shuttle port on L4 X21 as soon as possible.\"

Une nodded and stood. \"Okay, gentlemen. You have your orders. Take the Preventer shuttle 652; it should be ready to go by the time you get to the port. Contact me immediately you reach the colony and meet with Howard. I want to know exactly what this plan of his is before you put it into action. Failure to comply will incur Preventer court marshal. Do I make myself clear?\"

Five heads nodded.

\"Good. Good luck, gentlemen. Remember, time is short.\"

With a curt nod of her head the agents were dismissed and with worried looks on their faces, they exited the office and headed for the Preventer space port.

~ * ~

tbc.....