"What are you looking at, Heero?" Quatre eyed his friend curiously.

Heero did not move from his position at the window. "A new student has arrived. A girl."

Quatre laughed. "I'm not surprised. All the students here are girls."

"She seems different."

Quatre put down his book and came to Heero's side. "How so?" Then he saw the motorcycle. "Oh, I see."

Heero studied the motorcycle but it did not reveal any secrets about its owner. "She was wearing a short black trench coat."

"American?" Quatre ventured a guess.

Heero nodded. "More than likely." Heero stepped back from the window. "She also kept her head down as she walked."

Quatre finished the observation. "As if she knew she were being watched."

"Exactly. I don't think she's here just as a student."

Quatre returned to the couch and leaned against one of its arms. "I'm willing to give her the benefit of a doubt."

Heero's reply was short, as it usually was. "I'm not."

Arys lifted her head once she was inside the building. She had to play the part of a high-class girl, even though she was not one. Too bad the sim hadn't taught her how to act around rich people. It seemed that they walked through dozens of hallways and up ten stairwells before finally reaching Relena's office. Noin stopped before a set of double doors that looked like all the others.

"Wait here please." Noin disappeared into the office.

Arys tapped her transmitter.

Silverwind, I need a map of this place. Right now, I can only give you the path up to Relena's office. The rest I'll get later.

Understood.

If you can find anything on this place, get it to me. I won't have to work as hard.

Understood.

Arys released the transmitter. She waited patiently for Noin to come back and fetch her.

"Class, I'd like you to meet a new student who has just arrived." Relena motioned Arys into the room and to her side. "Please introduce yourself."

Arys held back the urge to stand at ease and left her arms hanging at her sides. "My name is Arys Walker."

The class regarded her with curiosity. Arys sensed open hostility from one girl though. Dorothy Catalonia. Arys' steel-gray eyes narrowed. Dorothy was related to Duke Dermail, the leader of the Romefeller Foundation. Dorothy was Oz. That made her an enemy. Arys decided to deal with her later. She continued scanning the room. She spotted the two Gundam pilots right away. They were the only boys in the entire room. Heero sat with his arms crossed over his chest and downcast eyes. In spite of his attempt to look bored, Arys knew that he was watching her intently. Quatre's welcome showed in his blue eyes and his wide smile. He greeted her with a nod.

"Arys has come here from Antarctica. Please make her feel welcome. She represents a research outpost located there." Relena turned to Arys. "Take a seat and we'll begin."

Arys sat down at an empty desk in the back row. She needed a good place to observe people and the back row was the best spot. Unfortunately, her desk was right next to Heero's. She decided against greeting him.

"Welcome, Arys Walker."

His voice startled her. She turned to look at him and saw that his eyes were the deepest blue she had ever seen. There had been no emotion in his voice, but Arys could see the veiled warning in his eyes.

"Thanks," Arys said. She glanced down at her desk.

Don't worry, Heero Yuy. I'm on your side, but you'll just have to find that out for yourself.

The silent bell in Arys' mind went off at twelve midnight. Arys quietly slid out of bed. She had slept in her dark gray jumpsuit so that she would not have the hassle of putting it on in the dark. She threw on her black trench coat, patted the holstered gun underneath the front flap, and headed toward the window.

The ground was three stories down. Arys would have no problem climbing down without safety equipment. She opened the window and climbed out onto the sill. The window screen lay under her bed, removed and placed there earlier in the day.

Arys closed the window behind her and carefully made her way down the wall. She hit the ground running and made for the woods, where she had hidden her motorcycle.

Heero sat at his laptop computer, searching for information on Arys Walker. There was very little about her on the general net, but Heero could hack his way to more classified information.

"Antarctica - bases."

Two showed up on the screen. Siberia Base, where Heero had fought Zechs, and Antarctic Outpost. On a hunch, Heero punched in the codes for access to the Antarctic Outpost computer system.

The screen flashed. [Security clearance accepted.]

"Profile on Arys Walker." Heero's hands flew over the keyboard.

Heero read the document that came up aloud. The further he read, the more surprised he became.

______________

Pilot: Arys Walker

Age: 15

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Gray

DOB: Unknown

Origin: Unknown

Nationality: American

Affiliation: None

Vehicle: The Gundam Silverwind

Background: Pilot has completely mastered the Zero System and thinks as one with her Gundam during battle. In a simulation, the pilot is virtually unstoppable and remains undefeated.

______________

Heero touched the picture of Arys on the screen.

"Hmm... So the mysterious Arys Walker is a Gundam pilot." Heero saved the data and began typing again.

The sound of footsteps in the room above him stopped his search. He knew Arys had that room. Her movements were very quiet. They would not disturb anyone who was in a deep asleep. But Heero was wide-awake. He frowned. What was Arys doing? Her steps went to the window. Heero barely caught the sound of the window opening and then closing. She was climbing down the wall. Heero stayed where he was until he was sure she had reached the level below his window. He ran to the window in time to see Arys step onto the ground and run for the woods. Before she was halfway there, Heero was out the door.

Heero managed to hot-wire a car in the garage and get out onto the road just as Arys peeled out from the woods in a puff of dust and leaves. He rolled the driver's side window down and followed far behind, using only the sound of the motorcycle to guide him.

When he heard her stop, he turned off the ignition and got out of the car. He would track her down on foot from here.

Arys nervously tapped the keyboard on the temporary computer console she had set up near Silverwind. She was sweating in spite of the chill night air.

I need to fight. Even if it isn't real.

Someone is here.

The Gundam's message invaded her whirling thoughts and dispelled them into a cloud of dust. Arys touched her transmitter.

Where?

3 o' clock. Edge of the clearing. Arys pulled out a pistol and pointed it in that direction.

Give me some help, Silverwind.

Instantly, Arys was scanning the woods for thermal radiation. She found a human signature and pointed her gun at it.

"Show yourself! Now!"

Heero stepped out of the woods with his hands raised.

Switch to human sight.

The green faded from Arys' vision. Her dark eyes narrowed and she tightened her grip on the pistol.

"Heero Yuy. I should have known. You shouldn't have come."

Heero ignored the gun in her hand. His eyes were on the Gundam behind her. "You are a Gundam pilot."

Arys' hand never wavered. If he thought small talk would lower her guard, he was wrong.

"Yes. As are you."

Heero reached into a pocket and pulled out a disk. He tossed it to her. She caught it with her free hand.

"Look at it."

Arys slipped the disk into the computer's input slot. Her profile scrolled down the console screen. She jerked the disk out of the slot and threw it on the ground. Calmly, she took aim with her pistol and shot it in half. She aimed her gun at Heero again, but he was not there. She could have slapped herself. He had distracted her! The oldest trick in the...

A shadow leapt at her from the side and tackled her to the ground. She quickly holstered her gun and tried to push Heero off her. But he was too strong. Arys found herself with her face in the dirt and her hands pinned behind her back. She felt cold steel prod the back of her head.

"Why are you here?"

Arys spit out the dirt in her mouth. "You don't need to know."

The barrel of the gun dug in deeper. "I asked, 'Why are you here?'"

"And I said, 'You don't need to know.'"

Heero was beginning to lose patience with this girl. He jiggled the gun. "You have until three. One..."

"Silverwind! Help!"

"What?" Heero said.

The Gundam looming above them came to life. Its eyes flashed silver as it lowered a Vulcan cannon straight at them. Bullets sprayed the ground around Arys, and Heero leapt off her back to avoid getting shot. He hit the ground in a roll and bounced back to his feet. The hailstorm stopped and Arys rolled to one knee. She raised her pistol and aimed it at Heero's chest just as he regained his footing and brought his weapon around to bear on her head. Both of them had their fingers poised over the triggers. For a long moment, they glared at each other.

Arys.

"What is it, Silverwind?" She asked shortly, still aiming her gun at Heero.

Heero could not contain his surprise at seeing this girl talk to her Gundam.

He is not here to kill you.

"Then, what do you call what he just did?" Arys was trembling. "It was real, Silverwind. Real!"

He is not an enemy. He could have killed you before he even revealed himself, but he did not.

Arys slowly lowered her gun. Heero holstered his. Arys stood up and moved forward until she was barely three inches in front of his face.

"My Gundam is the only thing I trust in this world. It trusts you. That means I must trust you." She handed him her pistol and stepped back with her hands raised. "Do what you must."

Heero fingered the pistol, unsure of what it was she was telling him. He tossed the gun in the air and caught it barrel-first. He held it toward her. "Take it. I won't report you."

Arys took the pistol and placed it in its holster. "Thank you."

She went back to her console. "By the way, I'm not here to hurt Relena. I'm here to help you, Quatre, and Noin protect her."

Please leave, Heero.

"I'm not ready to leave yet."

Arys looked up to see that Heero had come over to the console. His blue eyes were unreadable.

"The profile wasn't enough." Arys pushed a button on her console.

"No. It said nothing about how you were trained or how you can communicate with your Gundam using your thoughts."

So he had noticed. Sharp. Very sharp. She found herself beginning to respect him.

"You want to know everything, don't you, Heero?" Arys asked. "I like that. Information is power no matter how insignificant that information is."

"Then, we should get along just fine," Heero said.

Arys glanced at him. "Perhaps. Come, the best way for me to explain is for you to experience a sim."

"A sim?" Heero raised an eyebrow at her in confusion.

Arys led him to the front of her Gundam. She grabbed the cable that hauled a pilot up to the cockpit and handed it to Heero. "I've been living in a virtual world for the past five years. A sim isn't totally like what I've experienced, but you'll get a taste."

"But I've used a sim before."

"Not like this. This sim involves total virtual immersion. It's like going to sleep." She motioned for Heero to activate the line. "Silverwind will hook you up. I'll stay down here."

"Are you sure this is safe?"

"I've got too many flags set up for you to hurt anything, and the Zero System can only be accessed by my touch. Enjoy."

Heero tapped the switch on the haul line. Arys leaned on her console and watched him get into the cockpit. She touched her transmitter.

Silverwind, give him a level 8. He's a good pilot and deserves a challenge.

Understood.

"Heero?"

A voice drifted into his mind. Relena? No, this voice was different. It had more of an American lilt to it, like Duo's voice. Arys. Heero opened his eyes to see Arys peering into the cockpit. She had an amused look on her face.

"Was the sim so boring it made you fall asleep?"

"How long?" He asked as he stood up.

"About an hour. The sim actually lasted thirty minutes." Arys patted the doorjamb. "I thought I'd let you sleep."

Heero came out onto the cockpit door. Arys followed him. She now looked uncertain. "What was it like for you?"

Heero gazed up at the night sky. "Like dreaming."

Arys nodded. "Imagine dreaming like that for five years. That's what I went through. Everyday I had a battle. They were all different, but the mission was always the same: destroy Oz. I never got tired of it, though. Strange, isn't it? I probably used to hate fighting five years ago. But now, I live for it." Her voice was wistful.

"You live to fight. That is the way of all the Gundam pilots."

Arys sat down on the door and dangled her feet over the edge. For just a moment, she felt like a little girl. Then, the feeling passed. "During those five years, I merged with Silverwind. That's why I can 'think' orders to it. After the merge, handling the Zero System was no trouble at all."

"The perfect Gundam pilot." Heero sat down next to her.

"Far from it, Heero. Just because I can handle the Zero System doesn't mean I'm a perfect pilot." Arys leaned back so that she could look at the stars. "You, on the other hand, very nearly beat me on that sim. I'm impressed. That was your first try. No wonder they call you the Perfect Soldier. I've done it at least twenty times, until I got it perfect."

They were both silent for a few minutes, staring at the stars. Arys abruptly rolled to her feet and reached for the gently swinging haul line.

"Enough information for you, Heero?" Her manner changed from the insecure teenager to the professional soldier within seconds.

Heero stood to his feet.

"Yes, for now."

Heero jumped off the cockpit door. The haul line lowered him slowly to the ground. He turned around to see the cockpit door closing behind Arys. She was obviously going to spend the night, what was left of it, in her Gundam. As he made his way to the car, Heero realized that Arys' past was similar to his. No parents, family, close friends. And no childhood. Heero slid behind the wheel and turned on the ignition. For a few seconds, he just sat there and let the engine run. There was only one difference between his and Arys' training. Arys knew who the enemy was; Heero sometimes wondered if he did.

Arys arrived at the rec center the next morning in time to see Heero put his sword through Dorothy's faceplate.

She tapped Quatre on the shoulder. He turned and grinned at her.

"Hi, Arys."

Arys motioned to the duel. "What happened?"

"Dorothy challenged Heero. Of course, Heero won. He always does."

Arys muttered, "We'll see about that." She stalked forward.

"I'm having a hard time following you. There must be two other guys named Heero Yuy besides myself," Heero told Dorothy before he walked away.

Arys stepped in front of him. "Want to show Miss Catalonia a real swordfight, Heero?"

"Huh?" Heero said.

Arys crossed her arms over her chest. "No safety equipment."

At that statement, Heero glanced up from the ground to look Arys in the eye. He saw the challenge in her eyes, but it was different from what he had seen in Dorothy's eyes. Arys wasn't baiting him, trying to make him angry.

Heero shrugged. "Why not?"

Arys stood facing Heero in the middle of the room. A large crowd had gathered around them.

I hope they aren't looking for blood. They won't be seeing any. Arys mocked them in her mind. Total pacifists, my foot.

Heero was dressed in his normal outfit, black shorts and a green tank top. Arys wore her staple gray jumpsuit. She hefted the sword in her hand and tested its weight.

Heero unexpectedly lunged forward, but Arys parried the move aside and hopped backwards. She then went on the offense, wanting to get a feel for Heero's style so that she could anticipate his moves. Heero blocked her thrusts easily. Arys stopped, stepped back, and bowed slightly, giving Heero an opening and the chance to study her style.

He took the offer, attacking with lightning-quick blows. Arys dodged them easily. She had known exactly where he would aim.

Then,the two fell to an all-out battle. The sound of their striking swords formed the perfect accompaniment as they danced around the room in a deadly waltz. One false move and one of them could die.

Quatre moved closer for a better view. They were so evenly matched it was incredible. Quatre made a mental note to duel with Arys while he was here. He knew Heero's moves too well and needed someone new to spar with. He stepped aside with the rest of the crowd as the two teens fought their way to the wall.

Arys knew exactly what Heero was trying to do. She knew the wall was a few feet behind her, and she was going to use it.

Heero jumped forward, trying to find a hole in Arys' defense. Arys, for a moment, left her face unguarded, and Heero jabbed his sword toward that area. Arys leaped back and hit the wall, hard. The crowd winced, but Arys did not notice what should have been a painful jolt.

All Arys could see was Heero's sword, heading straight for her face. It was an underhanded move in a gentleman's swordfight, but Arys knew there was nothing gentlemanly about this fight at all. She swiftly raised her sword and used it to nudge Heero's sword to the side of her head. It rammed harmlessly into the wall, and the sword, with Heero's strength behind it, broke. The metal pieces fell to the floor in a tinkling rain.

Arys slowly lowered her sword from in front of her face. She slid down the wall until she sat against it, exhausted. Heero's expression was impassive. He looked down at her and dropped what remained of his sword on the floor. He offered a hand to her. Arys wiped a hand across her forehead as she took his hand and staggered to her feet.

"Stalemate."

Heero shook his head. "No stalemate. You won." He let go of her hand and stepped back.

Arys refused to accept the win. She still owed him for that flying tackle last night and she wanted to come up with something better than a swordfight. "Your sword broke. Stalemate."

Heero actually let out a hint of his buried sense of humor. "My sword always breaks."

Arys tossed him her sword. "Then, I suggest you get a better sword." She walked away, stopping before a seething Dorothy Catalonia. "That, Miss Catalonia, is a real swordfight." She strode out of the room. Quatre followed her.

"Arys! Where are you going?"

Heero watched Arys leave the room. He had to admit the girl was good. He wondered why she had refused the win. Then he remembered the night before and how he had jumped her.

"Uh oh," He muttered.

It dawned on him that there were still people standing around gawking at him. Arys had the right idea. He was about to leave the room when someone called his name.

"Heero!" Relena pushed her way through the crowd. "What do you think you're doing?" She ran up to him and took his arm.

Heero shrugged. "Recovering from a swordfight."