“Oh, but do you really want to know?” The doctor cackled. Duo fixed him with a glare,

“Yes…” he growled. “ What did you do to him?!”

“Oh, nothing really…. I really didn’t think I’d have to use this. But its fun, in a sadistic sort of way.”

“…Listen to me, if you don’t tell me-…”

“–You’ll do what? I don’t think you’re able to do anything right now,” He taunted. “But don’t worry, I was planning to tell you anyways…. You see, thanks to the wires system, all I need to press is a few combinations of buttons to control my Perfect Soldier. What I did just now was overload his nervous system so that he would lose consciousness. Very simple really…”

Duo’s fists clenched around the bars, making them creak in protest,

“… And what will you do now?” he hissed, voice low and dangerous.

The doctor smirked once again,

“Hm… Good Question… I believe that I shall make Heero mine to command once again, and dispose of you. You, the one weakness…” A sharp prick in his neck told Duo that the tricky doctor had pulled a fast one on him… Shinigami’s eyes closed and he slumped to the floor by the Perfect Soldier.

“Where the hell could those two have gone??!! They could have at least left a message!!” Shenlong’s pilot growled angrily. His obsidian eyes blazed.

Quatre clasped his hand over his heart,

“Wufei is right… I sense that they are in danger…” The blonde spoke in a faraway voice, a dull monotone. Trowa frowned,

“Quatre? Quatre, are you alright??” His worried look deepened when Quatre did not come out of his trance-like state.

“They are not alright…” After those words, Quatre promptly passed out against his koi, who held him, trying to wake him again. Wufei was even more furious,

“Now look… We have him spazzing out and Maxwell and Yuy gone… injustice…”

Trowa held an impassive look in his depthless eyes as he held Quatre in his arms.

“Wufei, I suggest we take action… Now.”

The Chinese pilot nodded,

“That’s what I’m talking about, Barton. Come with me.”

Duo… Dr.J…Why?… Why did he feel so strange? Every single bone in his body tingled with something that felt like pain… It wasn’t right…Nothing was right…

Heero let out a loud moan as he tried to move his limbs. He was greeted by cold, hard steel gripping them like vices that would never let go. The next thing he did was open his eyes, but they were flooded by a blinding bright light and they were quickly shut.

“J…” he whispered hoarsely. If it hadn’t been for his training he would have jumped at the response that came, sounding right next to his ear.

“Yes?”  Heero forced his breathing to slow and swallowed hard,

“Let Duo go… I know you have him somewhere… You can do what you want with me, but let Duo go…” 

The doctor cackled suddenly,

“What makes you think I haven’t killed him already??” Heero’s whole body tensed and he glared at him,

“That’s not like you. You like to torture your prey before giving it the joy of death.” Dr. J looked away, looking rather annoyed.

“You know me far too well, Boy… But, no matter. You’ll soon forget everything as soon as your new training begins.”

“What?!”

“Tsk..tsk… M’boy, you have just displayed one of the reasons why you need this. You immediately question my orders, which I have drilled into you since you were very young… What has become of you?” Heero clenched his jaw, but said nothing.

“Or perhaps 02 has brought an influence upon you… Ne, Heero?” The artificial eyes glinted evilly. “ But don’t worry, after a few days, all traces of 02, and all the other pilots will be gone from your mind. You will receive private missions, away from the other pilots.”

The mind of the Perfect Soldier screamed at his long-time mentor, the words he could never say.

Duo shivered uncontrollably. He crouched in a small holding room, having just woken up from the drug the doctor had injected in him.

“Heero… Where the hell are you?” he whispered and stood up drowsily. Duo put a hand on the wall to steady himself. He looked around and, seeing that the room had a door, smirked evilly. The pilot of Deathscythe took a small instrument from his hair and fiddled with the lock.

“Yes…” He heard a small click and pushed the heavy door open. “ Am I good, or what?”

Duo slipped quietly through the endless halls of the wherehouse,

‘ How did this place get so damn big all of the sudden?’ Just then, a low murmur of voices flooded through his ears.

“We start tomorrow… The end of your current life and the beginning of yet another…” The voice belonged to the doctor who had started this whole mess! Duo reached for a gun that just wasn’t there… Swearing under his breath, he decided to go in without a gun. A bad idea, he knew, but there wasn’t any other option… He kicked the door, sending it crashing to the floor,

“Dr. J!!” he shouted.

“Ah, 02. How kind of you to join us.”

Shinigami surveyed the scene: Dr. J sat in a chair, drumming his fingers close to Heero’s head annoyingly and speaking to him. Heero, on the other hand, laid strapped to a table, unmoving until Duo had came in. He now moved his head over to the direction his partner was standing.

“D-Duo…” he whispered. The state the Perfect Soldier was in was unimaginable. Sweat dripped from his shaking body and his hands twitched every so often. His eyes were dull and dialated to their fullest, a bare rim of Prussian blue showing.

Duo stared in shock,

“What…?”

Laughter came from the insane mentor in the room,

“Not to worry… It’s just the side effects of a drug. Nothing to be concerned about. Heero’s taken more powerful stuff than this before, he can handle it.”    

“Let him and me go free,” Duo said between clenched teeth. Dr. J raised his eyebrows,

“Oh? Who said anything about you? You can go free for all I care. In fact, I’d prefer it if you’d leave, then I wouldn’t have to kill you myself.”

“I don’t understand…”

“What’s there not to understand? You are not needed anymore, so go away. I’ll kindly show you the way out.”

“I’m not leaving without Heero,” Duo stated firmly, standing his ground.

The doctor took out a gun and pointed it at Duo,

“Leave.”

“Never.”

*bang* Duo gritted his teeth against the pain, the sudden ripping pain in his left shoulder. He raised a hand to clench the bullet wound. But nevertheless, he still stood. Dr. J’s anger was now imminent,

“Leave now, or I will kill you.”

“Like hell I will.” Duo moved a few steps closer to Heero and felt another bullet come into contact with his left leg this time.

“ And, stay away from Heero. You’ve damaged his training enough.

‘Huh?’ Duo thought. ‘Me?’

The third time Duo refused was his last. He lay unmoving on the floor, blood pouring from his chest. The last thing he heard was Heero’s hoarse voice whispering to him, something he wished he’d heard fully.

‘Duo… Save yourself…Don’t die…’