Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise and Bandai. This was written for fun with not intention for profit.

This just goes to show, you can only blowup so many times without dire consequences.

“Who’s your lover?”

By Nova

The mission came in like so many others. Unconfirmed reports of experimentation on human test subjects, resulting in dramatic changes in personality and abilities. Mission: investigate what types of tests are being performed, acquire all available data, and destroy facility.

“Mission accepted.”

Heero snapped the laptop closed and gazed over at his bed where Duo lay. He wanted to go over and make love to Duo one more time before saying goodbye. It was likely to be weeks before he saw his lover again. The urge to wake Duo was so strong, Heero found himself half way to the bed without realizing he had even moved. Firmly he crushed the need and made his preparations to leave. Heero couldn’t or wouldn’t name the emotion that drew him to the braided pilot. Caring so much for a person was a weakness he could not afford. With effort, he slipped back into his soldier mode. Disturbingly, he realized the role was becoming harder and harder to assume. “What are you doing to me, Duo?” Heero wondered as he closed to the door and departed the safe house, without a word. An abandoned laptop the only evidence of the owner’s departure and intention of return, but for the slumbering pilot it would be more than enough.

Heero tucked away the last information disk and exited the lab. The explosives were set, and with only a skeleton crew of guards working this early in the morning, casualties would be minimal. He detonated the charges as he worked his way out of the facility.

Heero had learned the lab’s affiliation with OZ was shaky at best. The main funding was coming from a private party. He had attempted to locate the mystery donor, but he only found an account in an Earth bank, that was receiving transfers at irregular intervals from multiple colony banks.

The scientists had been attempting to open a door to the future and had met with minimal success. The technicians who had been involved in the tests in question had all suffered some kind of mental or physical change. The total count of victims, so far, was 12. 8 had complete character & personality changes, 1 died, another claimed psychic abilities and fell into a coma a day later. The most interesting was the woman who developed pyrotechnic abilities and had to be killed due to insanity. The last just disappeared and never came back. “The Gundam scientists would no doubt find this information very interesting,” Heero thought, as he set off the next round of charges.

Unfortunately, a young technician, who thought he had found the problem with the transfer conduit, was conducting unscheduled tests at the moment the generators were blown up. The backlash triggered the gate, which sent out a massive wave of energy. Heero fell to his knees as the icy surge washed over him like a tidal wave. His muscles frozen in place, unable to even blink. If he could have taken a breath, he would have screamed in anguish at the burning tearing feeling of flesh being ripped from bone. Then, mercifully, blackness descended and he felt no more. The wave rushed on and touched every person within the compound, before the gate exploded taking most of the facility with it.

Heero let himself in to the safe house and unconsciously went directly to Duo’s room. It had been so long since he had seen the braided baka. He wanted nothing more than to lie in bed and let Duo make love to him. The small bubble of anticipation building in his chest burst. Duo was not in his room. He checked his own room, but still no Duo. Surprisingly, he found some interestingly amorous noises coming from Wufei’s room. “Wufei wouldn’t have brought Treize here would he?” Heero considered briefly. Preoccupied with his search he let it go for now. He didn’t see Trowa or Quatre, but they might be in their room; they were quiet lovers and it was often hard to tell.

Duo could be away on a mission, he reasoned. Ignoring the nagging disappointment pulling at him, Heero headed toward the kitchen. As he walked past the bathroom, the door opened, and Trowa stepped out.

“Where’s Duo?” Heero asked the damp pilot.

“Wufei’s room,” came the matter-of-fact reply.

Heero became perfectly still as the words, like dull knives, ripped through him. Part of him screamed in denial; Duo wouldn’t… couldn’t betray him like that. While another part grasped his training like a lifeline. Gather all available information, analyze situation, and determine plan of action.

“Heero?” asked Trowa, a slightly surprised look crossed the usually blank features at Heero’s noticeable lack of color.

“Wufei,” said Heero. His voice was cold and empty. Moving with quick precise movements he made his way to Wufei’s room. The unlocked door swung easily under his hand. The sighs and moans hit him full force freezing him in place as he took in the scene before him. He stared unbelieving at the familiar naked back covered in long wavy brown tresses. The knives were given a vicious twist and another wave of pain rushed through him.

Duo’s head snapped around at the sound of the door crashing into the wall. Wufei instinctively slipped Duo off him and under the covers, as he grabbed his sword, which he kept under his pillow, and stood at the ready beside the bed. Completely oblivious to his naked and aroused state, Wufei confronted Heero. “What the hell? Heero?”

“Omae o korosu.”

“WHAT?! Why?”

“Duo’s mine.”

A shocked gasp was heard from the bed.

“What is he talking about Duo?”

“Don’t you dare look at me like that, Wufei Chang! You know damn well you were my first! I have no idea what he’s talking about,” stated Duo in a high-pitched offended voice.

Meanwhile, Heero had drawn his gun and aimed it at Wufei. Emotions he couldn’t control rushed through him. Anger, jealousy, betrayal. He could do only what he had been trained to do - kill.

“HEERO, NO!” Duo leapt from the bed, sheet trailing, to stand in front of Wufei.

“Duo, move,” Heero and Wufei said in unison.

“No. I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but it is going to stop as of now. Heero, what has gotten into you? Just because you can’t have Relena doesn’t mean the rest of us have to suffer. If you don’t care for my choice in a lover, well, that is just too damn bad. You will just have to shoot me, because I’m not giving him up.”

Duo and Wufei leapt in opposite directions as the shot rang out. Heero kept the gun trained on Wufei and got another shot off before Duo tackled him. Wufei held his bleeding arm and watched them wrestle for the gun. Duo’s sheet tangled around them as they struggled. Finally Duo had Heero pinned to the ground, straddling his waist, and holding his wrists with his arms stretched above his head. “Heero! Stop! What is going on?” asked Duo in frustration. “What is wrong?”

“You betrayed me.”

“No, I wouldn’t do that. I am sorry about Relena, but you know I never touched her. We are just friends no matter how much she would like to change that. You know she isn’t my type.” Duo grinned, trying to lighten things up.

“Wufei…”

“Wufei again? What? Is it cause he’s your best friend? I’m not going to change him, Heero. I just like to make him smile every once in a while.” Duo leaned against Heero’s forehead. Their noses almost brushed. “I know sometimes we can barely stand each other, but can’t we all be friends? Please, Heero.” Pleading violet blue eyes stared into cobalt blue ones.

“No,” said Heero before taking Duo’s lips in a fierce kiss. Taking advantage of Duo’s surprise, Heero rolled them over so that he was on top. He then deepened the kiss in Duo’s shocked unresisting mouth. Frowning Heero pulled back. The body underneath him was familiar yet different. Something was wrong. The attraction and desire were the same; the need was just as strong. It just didn’t feel the same. He looked into confused violet blue eyes as he tried to figure out what was different.

Wufei stood above them fuming, ready to rip Heero apart limb by limb. “Heero,” he said calmly and coldly, “get off my woman.”

Part 2

No one moved and time seemed to stand still. Heero could feel each distinct beat of his heart and the gentle puffs of Duo’s breath. Why wasn’t Duo reacting to being called a woman?

A familiar beeping coming from the laptop in the corner broke the moment.

“Shit, shit, shit, of all the lousy times to get a mission.” Duo shoved Heero off and untangled herself from the sheet as she quickly moved to the computer.

“WOMAN, put some clothes on!!”

Duo began to read the incoming message. “Mission: Munitions warehouse, mobile suit prototype. Location: South America, Brazil.”

“DUO MAXWELL, are you listening to me?!”

“Yes, Wu, in a minute.”

Meanwhile, Heero had stood up and was now staring uncomprehendingly at a naked female Duo Maxwell.

Disgusted, Wufei took the now abandoned sheet from the floor and tossed it on Duo’s head.

“Thanks, and you might cover your cute ass while you’re at it,” Duo said distractedly as she wrapped the sheet around herself, not taking her eyes from the screen.

Secretly, Heero was relieved; the mission distracted Duo and Wufei and gave him a few minutes to think. Wufei’s words kept running through his head. Woman. Woman. Woman? He had made love to Duo too many times to not know that his Duo was definitely male. Yet, the Duo before him was obviously female. With the sheet now wrapped around her torso, she looked exactly like his Duo. It had been mentioned more than once Duo would make a good-looking girl. They had not known how right they were.

Heero’s usually quick and agile mind sluggishly tried to understand what was happening. Where had she come from? Where was his Duo? What had happen since he left Duo safely asleep on his bed?

As his mind ran in place Heero gazed unseeing at Duo. He didn’t see Wufei, who angrily stared at him, or the fist that knocked him out.

Heero kept perfectly still as he woke. In his normal way, he knew exactly where he was and what had happened. A quick check showed that except for a new throbbing along his jaw he was uninjured. Obviously, someone had knocked him unconscious.

He opened his eyes and gazed about the room. It was his room, just the way he left it. The laptop placed precisely in the center of the table, reassured and disconcerted him. It lay in the exact position he had left it. But Duo had been in the room and he knew the braided pilot would not have been able to resist touching it. His eyes softened as he recalled the time he had returned to find it covered in pink heart stickers.

The look quickly vanished as he heard a female voice ring clearly through the closed door.

“Wufei,” Duo exclaimed, “calm down before you catch the whole place on fire. Man, remind me never to introduce you to any of my ex-boyfriends.”

“DUO! You…”

“Seriously, Duo,” Quatre cut in before Wufei could start up again. “Something is definitely wrong with Heero,” he said worriedly. “I checked him over and everything seems okay, but his shields were completely gone.”

“Completely? Are you sure?”

Shields?

“Mmm-hhm, he was asleep so I couldn’t read his thoughts, but the feeling echoes were of betrayal and great confusion. Duo, all of it revolved around you.”

Heero rose from the bed and approached the door. Carefully listening to the conversation taking place in the next room. Since when did Quatre openly admit to his empathic abilities?

“Damn it! This is all Relena’s fault. Heero must be taking her rejection harder than I thought. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I would never believe she could be such a cold-hearted bitch. Discarding him and hitting on me in the same breath. With that Catalonia chick watching and laughing at the whole thing.” Duo’s furious voice rang through the safe house.

Rejected.

“Dorothy Catalonia?” Quatre asked. There was ring of fear in his question.

“Yeah, I think that was her name. Do you know her Quatre?”

“Unfortunately. Dorothy is a powerful Psychic. If she is in the picture, then there is every likelihood that Relena is being controlled.”

Psychic.

“Relena is a strong Persuasive. She should be able to fight off a psychic attack.”

“Dorothy isn’t ordinary. They say if Treize were not a Strategic, she would be the head of Romaffeller.”

“Shit, so you are saying we may have lost our only ally?”

“No,” Trowa broke in calmly, “just our contact. One of us will need to speak with Zechs or Noin. If we continue with our current plan of action.”

“What do you mean ‘if’?” Duo asked.

Heero could clearly see her frown in his mind’s eye.

“It was Heero’s plan,” replied Wufei. “We don’t know how reliable he is now. First he ran off on that suicide mission. Then he comes back and you saw what happened.”

“WHAT!! Just because he is hurt and confused about Relena is no reason to start doubting him. He is my partner. I trust him with my life. If he hadn’t freaked out when the woman he loved told him to fuck off, then I would be worried. You guys are totally overreacting,” Duo argued.

In love? With Relena?

“He’s wounded,” Quatre said sadly.

A quiet pause filled the room.

“No, he can’t be he…” Duo began uncertainly.

“His ribs are wrapped and he has unhealed lacerations and bruises,” reported Trowa.

“But the explosion was days ago. He should be completely healed. Trowa you saw it yourself. When Heero self detonated his Gundam, his self-healing powers saved him when anyone else would have died. He was awake in hours and days later it was like it never happened.”

Self-healing.

“He’s Lost,” Wufei said in a resigned voice.

“No. He just needs time to recover. Who knows what kind of testing they were doing at that lab. This could just be a side effect from exsposure.”

Lost?

“Duo…” Wufei began in an irritated voice.

“No. You are wrong, we havn’t Lost Heero. It doesn’t matter anyway. He doesn’t need healing to pilot Wing. The plan stands. Don’t you worry, Heero and I will do our part.” Her tone left no room for argument. “I am going to check on Heero.”

“He’s awake and very confused,” informed Quatre. “Tell him I’m sorry. He doesn’t like my reading his thoughts.”

“That’s because you are such a busybody Quatre. Always trying to fix our heads.”

Duo’s grin was directed at Quatre as she entered. Turning to Heero she closed the door and leaned against it. “I know you heard what they said, but I don’t believe it. I put up a shield around both of us so they can’t hear or sense us.”

He watched her as she approached. She wore black jeans with a sleeveless red zippered top. The outfit clearly showed off her feminine form beneath. He didn’t take his eyes off her as she plopped herself down Indian style on the end of his bed.

Heero’s eyes met concerned blue violet ones. Looking into those sparkling depths it was so easy to believe he was with his Duo. How many times had he come back from a mission, determined to continue working and Duo just as determined to stop him? He would sit with the computer in his lap and his Duo would sit on the end of the bed, just as she was, chattering away. It wouldn’t be long before the ever-restless braided pilot would start moving around and touching him. Nothing particularly arousing, but the casual human contact people take for granted. Contact that he had not experienced before Duo.

“How many times have I told you not to stare at my breasts?” Duo asked with a slight grin.

His eyes drifted to the mentioned part of her anatomy and back to her face.

“You’re supposed to say ‘Baka’,” she said, on a sigh. “You almost had me fooled. Until just now I wasn’t sure, but I know my Heero too well.”

All traces of laughter left her face, the air around her seemed to darken, and her eyes glittered with controlled rage. “Who are you and what have you done with my Heero?”

Part 3

The feeling of danger was almost palatable. It radiated off her like a mist, filling the room. The shadows seemed to deepen and gather around her.

“Who are you?”

“Heero Yuy.” He held the glittering amethyst gaze unflinching.

For a few endless moments nothing happened. The tension dug into the muscles of neck as those oh so familiar eyes bore into his. What did she see? His lover had always been able reach behind his barriers to the man locked there. How far did her resemblance to his Duo go?

Whatever she saw must have pleased her for the room lightened as Duo chuckled huskily, “I believe it. If you were anyone but Heero, Quatre would have picked up on it immediately; he’s like a walking, talking, blue-eyed lie detector.”

Her eyes ran over him, searching for he didn’t know what.

“You are almost an exact replica of my Heero.” Her voice held a note of awe. “How many other perfect soldiers are running around we don’t know about?”

“I don’t know. I’m not from this world.” The minute the words left his mouth he knew they were true. He had never considered the possibility before, but there were many who believed in the existence of other dimensions. The years spent training in Dr. J’s lab made the idea amazingly easy to except.

Names and places were the same, which explained the ease with which he returned to the safe house. Relationships, physiology, and events appeared to be radically different.

He needed to gather more information, the soldier side of his brain reasoned. He culdn’t stand much of a chance in this alternate world without an ally. This Duo appeared to be the most likely choice. Heero didn’t delve into the part of himself that instinctively knew Duo could be trusted.

“Were you created in the colonies?”

“No, I am from a different Earth or dimension, one very similar, but very different from this one. I don’t know how I came here, but I need to get back.”

“Another dimension?” Duo’s jaw dropped in shock.

Heero felt a twinge in his chest.

So like my Duo.

“You have to help me.”

“Just like that?” Her voice was very soft. She leapt off the bed, and her volume rose. “No word of warning! No, ‘Duo you aren’t going to believe this.’ Just ‘I am from a different dimension, help send me back.’ GOD! You couldn’t be more like my Heero if you tried.”

Her braid whipped about as she spun to glare him.

“Okay, let’s say I am stupid enough to even consider you believe you are telling the truth. What gave you the crazy idea you are from a different dimension?”

“You.”

Her eyes widened at that. “Me? What did I do?”

“You’re a woman.”

“Yeah, so?”

“The Duo I know is male.”

“Male.” He almost smiled at the expressions crossing her face. No one could do a face vault like Duo.

“So, you are trying to tell me, that when you kissed me in there,” she waved toward Wufei’s Room, “you thought I was a guy?”

“Hn.”

Duo glanced down at her ample chest and back at Heero. “Only you could say that and make it sound believable.” A familiar mischievous smile spread across her face. “Were you, like, at one time, attracted to Trowa?”

He was mildly irritated at the change in subject, but it never occurred to him not to tell the truth. “Once.”

“Oh, this is too good.” She bubbled with laughter as she bounced back onto the end of the bed. “A word of advice, avoid Trowa. The only reason he is with

Quatre is because you turned him down. Who knows what he would do if he found out you might be interested.”

Heero watched her as she continued to speak, hearing the words, but not paying much attention. His mind was focused on controlling the urge to kiss those laughing lips. Why hadn’t the feelings changed? He knew she wasn’t his Duo, yet his body and heart weren’t listening. When he had kissed her before, it had felt different, but not wrong. He still wanted Duo, no matter his/her form.

Part 4

It lay still like a viper ready to strike. If left alone he would never know how deadly it could be. But the choice wasn’t Heero’s anymore. He tensed as he approached the laptop, unaware of his clenched fists until the sharp edges of the transmitter dug into his palm. Forcing himself to relax, he stored the small piece of metal away on his person. Duo had given it to him just before she left.

“Always keep this close. It will transmit a better than average psychic shield around you.” A grimace flashed across her face quickly. “We learned the hard way that normal humans can’t fight this war. Too many brain hackers and most of them untrained. They go at your mind with a pickaxe and what’s left resembles vegetable soup.”

Brain hackers? What kind of world was this?

The answer to that question lay in the computer just a few steps away.

Ignoring his emotions as he had most of his life, he did what had to be done. Sitting down, he opened the laptop. As expected the information was in his own clinically precise style.

ac1862540600 - training 56% compete….

ac1881671200 - mobile suit training begins…

ac1932441830 - first mission. Destroy mobile suit plant…

ac1932560510 - mission has caused set back. Training resumed…

Each step of the training was rigorously documented. Heero meticulously read each bit of information, learning about this new world he now found himself in.

6 hours later Heero sat back to think over all he had discovered. Most surprisingly, the colonies and earth had had a mostly peaceful co-existence until the birth of 6th generation colonists. Those children began displaying abnormal abilities. The majority of these being heightened psychic power much like a sixth sense, but by the 8th generation telekinesis and pyrotechnics were appearing. Fear of the colonies grew. Earth, relying on their superior military, quarantined the colonies.

The scientists, funded by the Barton foundation, who felt colonists were superior to earthlings, developed the Gundams. Operation Meteor.

Each of the Gundam pilots, being colony born, had their own unique abilities.

Duo was a Stealth able to fool the eye and seem almost invisible. Her powers, like all the pilots, were much stronger than average colonists. The limit of her ability has not yet been documented, but “Heero” had witnessed her expand her power over 2 mobile suits. ‘Heero’ had her listed as dangerous and volatile.

Trowa was telekinetic, a Tek. If pushed to the limit he could hold his mobile suit off the ground for short periods of time. This was much more than any other documented Tek. Listed as calculating and objective orientated.

Quatre Raberba Winner, psychic, empathic, very sensitive to emotions, and able to crack almost any psychic shield. Dr. H nicknamed this previously undocumented combination Omega His powers were inhibited by his gentle nature making him much less dangerous than he had the potential to be. Listed as a liability and powerful but underdeveloped. Special note was made to investigate undisclosed past. This Quatre’s history was a mystery.

Wufei’s abilities were pyrotechnic in nature. A Pyro of above average potential with only average control. Too influenced by his emotions, he was not always in command of his power. Listed unstable but dependable and trustworthy.

The colonies had developed extra abilities first, but the Earth was following the same process. They were only on their second documented generation of ‘heightened’ humans.

Relena a Persuasive, able to manipulate emotions. Treize a Strategic, able to analyze down to an almost mathematical precision. Lady Une, an average psychic and

Sally Poe a Healer.

‘Heero’s’ power was self-healing. The colonists with this very rare condition were called Immortals. Short of a bullet to the brain, nothing had been found that could kill him. He had truly been the ultimate weapon. That was until he met Relena. Her untrained and unknown persuasive abilities had no effect on him, but her courage and determination did. This ‘Heero’ kept tabs on Relena, every possible bit of information was documented. School schedules, medical history, test scores, and even quotes from overheard conversations. There were more entries on her than any of the Gundam pilots or missions.

The log entries showed more emotion and personal thought until the last few. They had reverted back the short computer-like sentences of the first entries. This must have been after the confrontation with Relena that Duo had mentioned.

The last entry was a mission to investigate a testing facility rumored to be doing experiments with space-time manipulation.

Like a jigsaw puzzle the pieces began to fall into place. They had both been in the same facility when the explosion on his world had sent him here. Then this other

‘Heero’ may be in his world. He had been injured in the explosion, but when he had left the building it had very little damage. Perhaps it is possible to duplicate the blast from this dimension. He would have to return to the lab and see how much it differed from the original one.

He would find a way to return to his own world and his Duo.