Important Disclaimer: The events in this fanfic are not based on the events surrounding the Beltway Sniper. This fanfic was begun before those murders were committed and is completely fiction.

The Hit List

Chapter 10

by Starling

            Heero leaned back in his chair slightly, glad for the quiet of the shuttle’s main cabin. Most people probably would have found the incessant hum of the engines annoying, but Heero, having listened to that hum for most of his life, actually found it comforting. There were very few other people on the shuttle. Kira sat next to him, eyes closed in thoughtful sleep. Gavin was in the seat on her other side, and Heero smirked at the look on Gavin’s face.

            “We can’t live without them, can we?” Heero said to the air, knowing that Gavin would pick up on his tone.

            Gavin leaned forward to look at Heero. And Heero saw a sadness in his eyes that he had felt often enough.

            Gavin shook his head. “No, we can’t.” He glanced over at Kira. “I thought I was doing the right thing when I joined the Preventers. Instead, I almost lost what was most precious to me.”

            Heero nodded in agreement. The two sat in silence for a few moments before Heero spoke up again. “So, when’s the wedding?”

            Gavin gave him a startled look, saw Heero’s lazy grin, and realized that Heero Yuy was actually joking with him. “I... uh... um...”

            Heero laughed. “Never mind, Gavin. She’ll answer for you.”

            “I’d thank you both to stop talking about me in front of my face,” Kira said, eyes still closed. Her eyes flickered open and she smiled at Heero. “Don’t tell me that Heero Yuy just made a joke.” She laughed and went back to her pretend nap.

            Gavin glared at Kira and then sat back with a sigh. “What am I getting myself into, Heero?”

            “You’ll find out soon enough, Carver. I’m not going to spoil the fun for you.” Heero replied.

            The hum of the engines changed pitch slightly. “We’re going to land soon,” Heero said, glancing out the window. A few hundred kilometers away spun Colony L1ZX901, its metallic exterior reflecting the light of the sun. Something within him ached suddenly. They were in the L1 colony cluster. A place that Heero had once called home.

            Arys spent all her time on her computer now, or her virtual computer rather. There was so much she needed to know.

            “Why did you have to speak to him like that?” Arys asked herself. She knew that her husband was the perfect soldier, but even he had never spoken in such riddles. Had he understood her meaning?

            She knew that the Preventers were on their way to Colony L1ZX901, to save Relena’s life. But Arys had a more important mission. She had found out something that would affect the balance of the entire Earth Sphere. She had found a new enemy to fight, an enemy that would be difficult to defeat.

            For a moment, she played with the idea of tracking Heero’s flight, just so that she could feel closer to him somehow. Their short dance had been just that, a short dance. She wanted to sit down and talk to him. She wanted to go out to a nice dinner and laugh. How long had it been since she had laughed?

            Archangel, her only companion in her new world, interrupted her thoughts. Flight 1273 to Colony L1ZX901 has landed.

            So Heero was safe, for now. With a sigh, Arys continued her tireless search of the Net for information.

            “Will the enemies ever stop coming?” Arys whispered wearily.

            Brekken knew that they were coming for him. He could feel it. This last target was too important for the Preventers to ignore.

            As he assembled his weapon, a custom-designed long-range rifle he had built himself, Brekken went through the entire plan in his head. He took the weak points in his plans and strengthened them with backup plans. For every known situation, he knew what he would do. One of those plans involved Heero Yuy. Brekken knew that the Perfect Soldier would be after him and would do his best to kill him.

            He turned on the television to watch the colony news, cradling the rifle in his gloved hands. The rifle had been with him for a long time. Even so, he knew that every job was a link to him, every stray fingerprint could identify him. Brekken had been in the business too long to ignore the fact that the best ones stayed alive by being careful and avoiding mistakes.

            The phone rang sharply and Brekken jumped slightly. He glared at the ringing phone and wondered who could know where he was.

            Then, he remembered his conversation with the man who had called himself Veritas. He hastily corrected himself. The man had said, “We are called Veritas.” Did every person in this man’s organization have a personality problem or did they no longer think of themselves as individuals? The man had said that they would find him.

            The phone continued to ring and apparently the person calling was not going to give up until he picked up the phone.

            Brekken snatched up the receiver and was greeted by the voice of the man from Veritas.

            “Brekken Wolff, we need your help.”

            “I’m on a job right now. I can’t...”

            “The person we want will be there. He will try to kill you. You must speak to him.”

            With a start, Brekken realized that the man spoke of Heero Yuy. “How do you know about...?”

            “You must tell him that we can help him if he joins us.”

            Brekken laughed. “Just what makes you think that Heero Yuy would want to join you?” An actual pang of jealousy struck him. He thought that Veritas had wanted him, but now they had changed their minds and they wanted Heero Yuy?

            “We have the ability to bring his wife back.”

            “What are you talking about? I saw her on the news. She’s out of her coma.”

            “That woman was not Arys Yuy. She is merely a distraction, a decoy.”

            “Arys Yuy is still in her coma?” Brekken did not like being fooled, and it looked like he had been fooled once again.

            “Yes. And we can bring her back. There is no one else who can.”

            That was the ultimate playing card and Brekken knew without a doubt that Veritas was playing for keeps. “This phone call can probably be traced. I should probably...”

            “That is taken care of. You have no need to worry.”

            Brekken sighed. This phone call wasn’t going to be over until Veritas wanted it to be over. “Why Heero Yuy?”

            “Because he is part of the truth.”

            “Why should I join up with you?”

            The man sounded surprised. “Brekken Wolff, we can give you what you most desire. Anonymity.”

            “And because I am part of the truth too.” Brekken rolled his eyes.

            “Yes.”

            Anonymity. He would have no identity in the Earth Sphere. He would be free to move about. No one would question who he was. The perfect setup for a professional assassin. Perhaps his career would not be over as soon as he thought...

            The idea appealed to him.

            “How should he contact you?”

            “He does not have to give you his answer. We will contact him. Through his wife.”

            Heero Yuy could not kill Brekken now. He knew too much. He held the chance for Yuy to see his wife again in his hand. The thought was overwhelming.

            “I will do it.”

            “Veritas thanks you, BrekkenWolff. You will not regret your decision.”

            There was a click in his ear, and then the dial tone came on. Brekken set the receiver down in its cradle and stared at the bland yellow wall behind the nightstand.

            Anonymity. How would Veritas give it to him? He wondered what kind of people existed in Veritas. And why they had chosen him. At least his decision gave him the chance for life. For he knew that Heero Yuy had been the perfect assassin as well and would not have hesitated to kill him.

            Brekken looked down at the bed, where his rifle lay. He would have to think about the consequences of his decision later. For now, he had a job to do.