Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Just Another Perfect Soldier ❯ Miscalculation: Part Two ( Chapter 15 )

A/N: This is amazingly late BUT it is also the longest chapter to date, that I have ever posted for this story. I've had family problems, work problems, computer problems, a new found love of Supernatural and killer Writer's Block to battle to get this out. It's a miracle I didn't just give up on it.

That being said, you should all send virtual (and real) Trowa to my beta, Masked Fool, for being so totally awesome. This chapter officially belongs to her! -hugs-

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Chapter Fifteen: Miscalculation- Part Two

  Zero was seriously starting to piss Harry off.

            ; In a passive-aggressive, the-voices-in-your-head-are-annoying-you kind of way in which only Harry and Zero could even tell he was becoming irritated.

            ; 'Sloppy. We should have checked and rechecked the weather reports before lift-off.' Zero repeated for the fifth time in less than fifteen minutes.

            ; Harry kept the controls steady with ease, his enhanced strength more than an even match for the gale-force winds of the freak storm. His even temper however, might not survive Zero's anal-retentive whining.

            ; "So you've said. Over and over and over again."

Ice pellets clicked against the Gundam as another gust of wind shook the controls in the wizard's hands.

"I would like to take this moment to point out that, no matter how much you'd like for things to go exactly as planned, sometimes they don't. I'd also like to point out that this is exactly why the phrase 'freak storm' was coined."

            ; 'That does not mean we should excuse any mistakes as random occurrences. We must always be prepared for anything.' Zero responded in kind. Had it not been a computer program Harry could easily imagine it possessing a snooty, Hermione-ish tone of voice.

            ; "Each setback is simply another lesson learned and another chance to improve upon my current level of expertise." Harry parried back smartly. 'Constant vigilance' in the words of a former DADA professor.

            ; Zero beeped warningly. 'You are reaching. Pay attention to your flight route. I will cease my verbal report of our miscalculations until the mission has been completed.'

          &n bsp; Harry let a small self-satisfied smirk cross his lips at Zero's offer. He probably would have rubbed the victory in its face more had he not just won a mental battle of wits against the voice in his head.

            ; Another gust of wind pushed the controls against his hands and Harry flirted with the idea of flying above the storm but the chance of being caught on radar by any of the authorities rose dramatically. If he kept up his course any abnormalities caught on radar could be explained away by the storm.

            ; Nimble fingers flicked on the console screen connected to the outside. Snow-flakes swirled furiously on the screen as tiny bright white beads of ice bounced off the camera lens. The Baltic Sea was a mess of dark blue-grey water and the white of crashing waves. Harry glanced at it warily before flicking on his own radar and cutting his view of the outside.

            ; Not for the first time since finding the storm hindering his flight, was the wizard glad that Phoenix was a superior mobile suit used predominantly for flight instead of sea fare. A Gundam could, easily, be used for underwater exploration - considering that fact that they were used in outer space just as much as flight- but certain thermal aspects of the design would be impossible.

            ; With the current storm and their shortening distance from the target, neither Harry nor Zero wanted to risk going seaside and getting caught without a thermal weapon.

            ; "We are making good time here - storm or not. Perhaps you should check and recheck our attack plan instead of trying to drive me mad?" Harry suggested, flicking off the out-camera for his infra-red sensor and radar. Staring at the churning sea would do nothing to help calm any potential nerves.

            ; 'Our attack plan is simple - seek and destroy.' Zero responded promptly. 'Your diversionary skills need to be upgraded if that is the best you can achieve.'

          &n bsp; Harry scoffed at his controls as Zero picked up his previous spiel of critiques and areas it thought Harry could improve upon. The wizard tried his best to ignore anything else but the beep of his instruments and the flash of Phoenix's screens.

            ; The Russian coastline was the beginning of a long stretch of white and brown land underneath Harry's eyes. Barren trees and undergrowth dotted the canvas every so often. The storm kept prying human eyes out of the way, even with Phoenix's invisibility.

            ; Zero beeped. 'Arriving at target in one hundred and fifty seconds. Prepare to engage.'

          &n bsp; Harry took a long, slow, deep breath, flexing his hands on the controls before buckling down to fight.

 

 

            ;            &n bsp;             ;            &n bsp;             ;           *******

 

"What?!!" Remus asked, his voice rising in pitch. He had a rather deep cut across his forehead and his usually shabby robes were covered in dust and dirt. He'd been one of the few professors with the ability to help re-enforce the protections around Hogwarts when the giants had come to call.

            ; Heero didn't give the man more than a passing glance as his eyes focused on his temporary supervisor, the man responsible for them even being at Hogwarts, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

            ; As if to show his own tranquility at the news, compared to Lupin's obvious panic, the Headmaster's robes were in their usual eye-catching, pristine state.

            ; "Potter is missing. We suspect he has taken leave during the confusion of the attack."

            ; Lupin was beside himself with worry, and a rage that seemed to be targeted solely at Heero. "Where were you? Aren't you supposed to be protecting him from this sort of thing?"

            ; Hermione leant forward urgently, trying to deflect her best friend's godfather from Heero's stiff form. "Professor Lupin! Haven't you been listening? Harry's left. He hasn't been kidnapped again!"

            ; The werewolf seemed to do a double take, his gold eyes flaring up at this insight before the fury took over again. "Harry would never - he's not well enough to be out on his own, never mind leaving during an attack."

            ; The Headmaster sighed deeply. "I'd feared this would happen."

            ; Heero's head snapped up from where it had dipped in thought. Hermione found herself pulled back towards a suddenly protective Ron at the expression in Heero's eyes.

            ; "What do you know?"

            ; The words came out low and thunderous all at the same time, like a growl and a snarl combined. Even Remus shifted at the sound, his eyes sliding from furious at Heero's presence to dreadful at Dumbledore's words.

            ; The Headmaster didn't look at all perturbed by the sudden display of emotion from the Japanese bodyguard, but he did send the other occupants of the room a hard look.

            ; "Perhaps this is a conversation best kept between ourselves, Mister Yuy."

            ; Hermione felt Ron's chest expand to protest - Harry was their best friend after all and they'd been though so much already to be cut out of his life now - but she suspected Dumbledore knew something that only Heero would understand. Her elbow caught Ron just right, sending his puff of breath out in a wheeze of sorts before she nodded and began pulling her stubborn, peacock-posturing boyfriend out of the office. "We're going to go help the others search."

           Remus didn't budge from his spot near the desk, even when both Albus and Heero set their penetrating gazes on him. "Harry's my godson now, and someone here has to be looking out for his best interests."

            ; Heero twitched slightly, as if to smack those words from Lupin's lips, but was halted by Dumbledore's words.

            ; The Headmaster, it seemed, had the ability to pull rank, even on godfathers. If that didn't work, the old wizard always had the power of simply reproaching or shaming people into doing what he wanted.

            ; "Remus, everything I have done, I have done so for Harry's own good and I will not let it be said otherwise - especially by one who has no idea of the lengths I have gone, and am yet to go to.”

Heero fought to smirk as desolation crept over the professor's face, the very image of a kicked puppy. He did not feel bad for the man who treated Harry like he was made of spun glass, held together with chewing gum and band-aids.

            ; Dumbledore fussed with a tin that seemed to hold a mountain of bright yellow sweets until the door clicked shut behind Remus Lupin. Even after a moment had passed, the old wizard took his time selecting a treat before inspecting it for any deformities and popping it into his mouth anyway.

            ; "You are troubled, young man."

            ; Heero wanted, much to his surprise, to borrow Duo's eye roll and say "No shit, sir", but held back against the urge. He was not sure as to how to treat any attempt made by Dumbledore in turning Heero in his favor, especially when Harry still could not be found.

            ; "These are troubling times." He opted for, settling for a Trowa sort of mind set, with the taller man's ability to seem submissive and be a smartass all at once.

            ; Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at the response before his ancient looking fingers steeple-ed together under his chin. "I had feared Harry would soon wander from the castle on his own for many a reason, most of which you would not understand. However I will try to explain to you that no matter what Remus and the rest of the Wizarding World believe, Harry is not a warrior for the cause. He is a gentle soul who tries, no matter what, to always do the right thing. For others, if not for himself."

            ; Heero wasn't sure where this was going, but it was a strangely accurate depiction of Harry's character. Heero knew that the torture the Gryffindor had endured had changed him, but there were many moments in which shadows and overtones of the soft-hearted person Harry must have been shone out through the dark cloud he'd wrapped himself in.

            ; "I say this because, having not known Harry before his capture, you cannot understand how positively good that man is. How much he shows - showed - it every day."

            ; "Acts of violence tend to change a person's - "Heero began, only to be cut off by a quietly furious "Not like this."

            ; The Japanese wizard wasn't really sure what he was supposed to be hearing. That Harry was a good person? That the other wizard had been changed by his experience at the hands of Voldemort? These were not turning out to be exceptionally astounding remarks.

            ; The sickly looking bird in the corner gave a sudden chirp and fell from its perch. Heero quelled the urge to reach for his gun, as the bird appeared to already have died.

            ; The reflex returned when the body, lying innocently on the tray of the perch, violently caught itself aflame.

            ; The fire, while startling, was a thing of beauty and reminded Heero of Harry, for some reason he didn't want to think about at that moment. However the thought stuck as the flames died and out of the ashes popped a tiny little chick, bare of all but the tiniest feather on its head.

            ; It chirped and Dumbledore chuckled at the expression of Heero's face.

            ; "Welcome back Fawkes." He said cordially to the bird before addressing Heero.

            ; "I'd always hated the burning before the rebirth until I saw Harry's reaction. He made me see the beauty in the ending of it all."

            ; Heero could understand that. Harry had taught him a few things as well. While talking about the green-eyed wizard was pleasant, it was a constant reminder of the fact that Heero was still doing nothing to find him and keep him safe.

            ; Dumbledore seemed to feel his impatience.

            ; "Forgive me, Mister Yuy, I am old and have been known to ramble. I do have a reason for all of my story-telling; it lays the background evidence for the coming lesson." The brightness in the old man's eyes dimmed as he began to speak again and Heero found he missed the Headmaster's cheerfulness.

            ; "Before his capture, Harry would never even try to break Mr. Maxwell's wrist, let alone be able to. His fighting ability amounted to that of a teenage boy in a schoolyard brawl, and homework was something that had to be completed, less he face the wrath of his professors and Miss Granger." Dumbledore sat back solemnly. "Nor could Harry have beaten five of the Preventers' top agents after experiencing a psychic attack from Voldemort himself."

            ; Heero sat in the chair behind him slowly. There was something challenging in those words, unless he was just been paranoid. "If you believe that I have provided inadequate protection to Potter, do not worry. I will be asking to be relieved of this mission after we are sure Potter is safe and returned to the castle. The - I'm positive Commander Une can appoint another agent to my post."

            ; Dumbledore looked startled for a moment, shaking his head sadly. "That was not what I meant to imply. I'm sorry you mistook my words for reprimand. You and your group have done an amazing job keeping Harry safe, despite what his godfather might say."

            ; Heero felt something tight in his chest squeeze painfully. "He is still missing."

            ; Understanding seemed to ooze from Dumbledore's form as he looked at Heero, really and truly looked at the agent before him. "You have been thinking about this for far longer than today I assume." 

            ; Heero nodded, fighting back the sense of shame at his next words. "I have become too… personally involved in Potter's welfare. It has clouded my judgment on more than one occasion and that is unacceptable."

            ; Dumbledore didn't scold him like the Japanese wizard had been expecting, but chuckled in relief. "Heero, if I may be so bold, had Harry not touched you some way, I would have been more than ready to believe the rumors that you are in fact part auto-matron were true."

            ; The agent seemed frozen in place, as if unsure as to what was supposed to be happening next. He had crossed that invisible line no bodyguard was supposed to cross and developed… feelings, of a personal nature, for his charge. This was a serious offense. Dumbledore was not supposed to be laughing about it.

            ; "Headmaster, I…" Yes, Heero was most definitely lost.

            ; Dumbledore wiped his eyes with a softer chuckle before explaining. "I am not going to fire you for this, my boy. For you to actually care about the person you are protecting? What more could I possibly ask for?"

            ; "Sir, it is a liability. My - how I feel could affect the mission and my judgment should a situation arise," Like today. Heero tried to explain, wondering if the old man was one of those romantics who thought him and Harry would simply fall into each others arms like Quatre and Trowa had.

            ; If so, the wizard had another thing coming.

            ; "They say that in order to be a good bodyguard, one must be willing to die for the person or the cause they are protecting. They must believe in it and care for it. They must love it more than they love themselves." His eyes twinkled again. "There are no atheists in foxholes."

            ; Heero hated it went people used complex, deep sayings to convey something they could just spit out and be done with.

            ; "You won't accept my resignation then?"

            ; Dumbledore smiled at him, steepling his fingers quickly and shaking his head.

            ; "No, I will not. I am convinced, more than ever, that there is no one better for the job.

            ; Heero was rather happy someone was.

            ; "Then why did you send away Lupin and the Gryffindors? If not to terminate me."

            ; Dumbledore's smile vanished as he contemplated his hands intently. Heero waited as patiently as he could with the itch to be out of this stuffy office and searching gnawing under his skin.

            ; "This is not," The Headmaster began after a long moment of silence. "Something I think Remus or Harry's friends could bear to hear. Neither of them could possibly understand and in their haste to help Harry, each would only do extraordinary damage."

            ; Heero nodded. "I understand. Lupin has been treating Potter as if he were a helpless, damaged child already."

            ; "Yes, and while loyal and determined, Miss Granger and Mister Weasley have fallen away from Harry since his return."

            ; The bodyguard straightened. "Then why would you tell me this, if not his two best friends?"

            ; "I've read in your file that you have had some experience with something called the ZERO System." Dumbledore announced promptly, taking in the way Heero stiffened and shot him a surprised look.

            ; "Affirmative."

            ; The old wizard nodded to himself. "Would you agree in my assumption that this type of technology has the ability to, forgive my 'sci-fi' terminology, brainwash a person?"

            ; Heero didn't answer right away, thinking about the program itself, its purposes and how it had reacted to his psyche.

            ; "It can, in a sense, be developed to control how a person would think. Or push them to think in a specific direction."

            ; Dumbledore pursed his lips and Heero had the sudden thought that the Headmaster had already assumed as much.

            ; "How would it go about doing such a thing?"

            ; Heero had a moment of uncertainty - did he reveal the inner workings of the ZERO System to an outsider or hold back and loose his chance to help Potter?

            ; Dumbledore seemed to practically read his mind as he chuckled.

            ; "Do not fret, Heero. For all my 'muggle-loving' ways, I've yet to understand the workings of a basic toaster. However, Commander Une has granted me top clearance in this area when I requested permission to speak to you on this matter."

            ; The anxiety lifted from the Japanese wizard's chest as he took the signed and stamped notice from Dumbledore's withered hand.

            ; "Zero could be used to…warp a person's mind if it is input with a specific goal." He began to explain. "ZERO, Zoning and Emotional Range Omitted, is a computer program that was made to work with the pilot's mind, to enhance it. The system decreases a pilot's reaction time by removing the need for visual interfaces."

            ; "It connects the pilot's mind with the computer? Or the machine?" The Headmaster asked suddenly, as if storing the data away.

            ; Heero smirked. "Both. In a Gundam the computer mainframe is the heart of the whole suit, excluding the pilot. The computer and the suit cannot run without each other, adding ZERO simply connects the pilot to the equation."

            ; "Amazing." Dumbledore muttered, stroking his beard in contemplation. "Continue, please."

            ; "ZERO is extremely advanced. It also has the ability to calculate possible outcomes during battle and to map a route of actions and reactions that will achieve total victory or defeat." Heero trailed off as he watched his employer sit up as if shocked. He looked at him guardedly. "Headmaster?"

            ; "It can predict the future?" The wizard looked almost terrified for a moment before calm blue eyes regarded Heero intently. The bodyguard nodded slowly.

            ; "Multiple futures to be precise. It can then calculate its opponent's possible actions and so on."

            ; "Like a Chess Game?" Dumbledore asked in a defeated voice that spoke of already knowing the answer.

            ; "Yes." Heero had taken his seat during the explanation, his mind working overtime as Dumbledore sighed.

            ; "I'd thought it was something terrible, but nothing to this scale." Dumbledore stared off at the far corner of his office, looking bleak. "Tom, what have you done to him?"

            ; Heero didn't have the slightest clue who 'Tom' could be but it was obvious the victim in all this was Potter.

            ; "Headmaster?" He questioned, linking ZERO and Harry in his mind. Quatre's slack face, his computer-induced mania while on the system joined the collage of memories. "What does this have to do with Potter?"

            ; Dumbledore snapped back into himself like a rubber band, only not all of it seemed to fit anymore. Stretched too far and worn too thin. He cleared his throat briefly.

            ; "I have suspected for months now, that Voldemort has done something… permanent. I had feared that Harry was a plant, even. A doppelganger." The old wizard had a look of self-disgust smeared across his face. "I was a paranoid fool to let it go on for this long.  I believe Harry knows something about the Gundam that has been tearing up parts of Europe for months now."

            ; Heero clenched his hands tightly into fists at the thought. ZERO, when used too long or too often, hurt a Gundam pilot. It left damage. ZERO, being used on civilians? It was torture, pure and simple.

            ; "You believe both Potter and the pilot of the new Gundam escaped together then?" He asked, just to be sure.

            ; Dumbledore nodded. "I believe they were both captives of Voldemort, both victims of the system you've just explained to me. It leaves behind signs of its use, no?"

            ; Heero took a moment to make his hands uncurl, the tension growing in his chest and back. "It never goes away. The memories or the temptation. That frame of mind, it haunts you until you die."

            ; "Yes, I believe it does." Dumbledore looked far too knowing for Heero's peace of mind. The old wizard shook himself back to the present with a surprisingly soft smile. "However, all hope is not lost. We know what has been done to Harry, and we know what did it. If you are willing," Heero looked up sharply and Dumbledore leant forward.

            ; "You can help him through this."

  **************

 

"East side is clear." Duo sighed into the cold, winter air.  The lake was a dull, grey pan of ice, cutting off the last possible place Harry could have gone.

"North is clear as well." Quatre's voice sounded in his ear like the blond had whispered right into it. Hermione's modified Com Spell was a godsend when Hogwarts seemed to swallow their technology whole.

            ; "I've joined 04 and will head back to the check point." Trowa murmured after a moment. Duo turned around himself to head back to Hogwarts, disappointment and worry weighing down on him.

            ; "I'm on my way as well. 05?"

            ; "Affirmative. South side is clear." Wufei spoke harshly but Duo could tell he was just as disappointed in not finding Harry anywhere on the grounds as they were.

            ; The wards were still visible in the fading light, glossy waves of fairy-bright pinks, reds, blues, yellows, greens and purples. Flitwick had lamented the showing of the wards, after the giants had slumped away in defeat, squeaking about how everyone from Hogwarts to China would be able to see their protections now.

            ; Duo thought the opaque sphere of liquid color was beautiful. To know that it was protective magic up there was even better.

            ; "It's soothing, isn't it?" Quatre asked, stepping around the towering roots of a ripped up tree. "Like looking up at our very own Northern Lights."

            ; Trowa nodded and glanced at the wards frequently, letting his eyes scan the darkened grounds of Hogwarts more often than not. Someone had to keep watch.

            ; Duo smiled quickly at the thought before the mess the giants had left behind caught his sight. "I wish I'd had my Deathscythe when those bastards had done this."

            ; The wards were protection, not aggressive magic, and powerless to stop the creatures from damaging the grounds and part of Hogwarts herself. They'd come to think of the castle as a temporary home base; neither of the agents were immune to its beauty.

            ; "Even if it had scared them off, you'd only have added to the damage." Wufei commented from behind his lover. "The Gundams were created for air and space combat, not Earth-side battle."

            ; "Just be thankful it was the weekend, or we'd be cleaning up bodies as well." Trowa said in his usual stoic tone, as they began to make their way back to Hogwarts.

            ; It was a chilling reminder that they were, bodyguards or not, a part of another war.

            ; They skirted around bits of trees and clogs of frozen earth in a tense silence, each no doubt thinking about their missing charge. Wufei glanced at his wrist watch and 'hummed in surprise.

            ; "Yuy has been gone for a long time."

            ; "I'm just grateful I'm not the one telling Lupin his godson's missing again." Duo said with a faked shudder. "That guy has serious issues."

            ; "From what Hermione has told me, Remus has more than his share of reasons to be so over-protective." Quatre replied, frowning slightly. His braided friend blinked.

            ; "Hermione talks to you?"

            ; "Everyone talks to me, Duo."

            ; Trowa brushed against his elbow. "What has she said?"

            ; The blond sighed. "Harry is his last link to what I guess would amount to his family. Harry's parents, Lily and James, were his best friends, along with Harry's godfather, Sirius Black and another man Hermione wouldn't say much about. I get the feeling he's not someone Harry has any regard for."

            ; "Lupin is a werewolf." Wufei added, rubbing his numbing hands together. "I've read that after years of transformations a 'Pack Mentality' can set into their human psyche. It usually results in territoriality and over-protective tendencies."

            ; "All of his students would fit the idea of a cub pack, one that needs to be protected." Quatre agreed. "But only Harry would be family. His cub, if you will."

            ; Duo groaned. "And now with Harry missing, again, Remus will be in over-drive and looking for someone's ass to string up." He kicked a snowdrift angrily. "Of course Heero would volunteer himself for that- he thinks this is his fault."

            ; "Potter ran away." Wufei frowned. "No one in their right mind would blame Yuy."

            ; "Who says Wolfman will be in his right mind?"

            ; The grounds started to rise under their feet. Trowa paused a moment to brush the constant fall of flurries out of his bangs. "He will come to be more concerned about Harry's whereabouts than whom to blame them for." 

            ; Something none of them still had any answers for.             ;            &n bsp;       

"Think maybe he's gone back?" Duo voiced the one fear everyone was keeping secret.

            ; "Stockholm Syndrome? I doubt it." Trowa replied quietly, confident in the knowledge that Harry would never do that to them, especially to Heero.

            ; Wufei did not have that much faith in their charge. "They've roped you in on this scheme as well, Barton?"

            ; Trowa paused in his easy lope up the snowy hillside. "No one can 'rope' me into doing something I don't wish to. Nor am I so blinded by my own prejudices that I can disregard what I've seen with my own eyes."

            ; Wufei looked away from his comrade, slightly mollified. Duo nudged him with his shoulder.

            ; "Hey, babe. Don't pull that face. Tro's the most practical person I know. If he's not denying it, then there has to be something there, right?"

            ;  "Trowa is all but married to Quatre." His lover answered back. "He may be the Prince of Practicality but he's certainly not immune to flights of fancy."

            ; Quatre's sunny grin, which had sprung up at Wufei's mention of his and Trowa's devotion to each other, grew into a blinding smile as his tall partner did not deny the comment.

            ; The hill levelled out to a plain of freshly fallen snow before Wufei spoke again.

            ; "Heero would never allow it."

            ; Duo closed his eyes, letting the cold air fog around him. "You know it can't always be controlled."

            ; "Yuy has a code of ethics, and morals, for his work. He sets impossible standards for himself to meet. He is above all a professional. Heero is-"

            ; "Only human." Quatre cut off his friend firmly. "No matter what he'd like us to believe." It irked the blond that they all seemed be willing to overlook Heero's emotions, his softer, hidden side. That Heero let them.

            ; Trowa pulled his lover closer, warding off the chill of December as best he could. He looked like silent reinforcement, standing dark and immoveable behind the blond. It wasn't hard for any of them to remember that other than Quatre, Trowa would be the best evidence of Heero's mortality; he'd nursed the Japanese pilot back to health after his self-destruction in Siberia.

            ; "His humanity aside, Heero still wouldn't allow this to happen." Wufei folded his arms against his chest, for warmth he told himself.

            ; Duo let out a long, slow breath, his pale face turned down. "That's what makes it so damn sad."

            ; They returned to the castle in silence, hoping against hope that Harry was alright.

 

 

            ;            &n bsp;             ;            &n bsp;           *******

 

Zero was not happy.

            Phoenix sagged to the right as they flew over the now calm Baltic Sea, her shoulder throwing sparks erratically. Harry tried to manually balance out the dead weight of his damaged Gundam, blinking sticky blood from his eyelashes.

            ; Things had not gone as planned.

            ; The Russian base had been expanded since Harry's last visit, months ago. Expanded and very much protected. It went down, but not without giving Harry and Zero a fight for their money.

            ; 'We've missed our arrival time by three hundred minutes and counting.'

            ; Harry did a rapid countdown and frowned at himself. Five hours late? Impossible. Five hours was too close. Five hours was too far. Five hours was almost failure.

            ; Zero did not lie, and neither did the internal clock ticking down like an atomic bomb in Harry's head. Heero would be looking for him by now, if not sooner.

            ; 'Zero One will be suspicious. He will need to be dealt with carefully.'

            ; "What happened to Heero being my optimum candidate for a significant other? I thought you were all for brining him into the fold." Harry muttered, willing his swimming vision to steady.

          &n bsp; 'That does not equate the loss of common sense or your instincts to survive. Trust no one.'

            ; His Gundam dipped and swayed in the wind, forcing Harry to forego giving Zero a better response than a highly inventive string of swear words.

            ; 'Your vocabulary is atrocious.'

            ; "And yours is giving me a headache." Harry snapped as the screens before his eyes fuzzed out and shifted. He blinked away more blood.

            ; 'That would be the concussion you sustained during the attack.'  Zero parried back logically. 'Our reflexes would be sharper if you trained more.'

            ; Harry growled at the insinuation that this mess was his entire fault. "And what? Tell the others not to mind the big, illegal Gundam playing on the grounds? Tell them I'd like to be left alone for a couple of hours to do mysterious things I can't possibly tell them about?"

            ; Phoenix tilted almost completely to the right.

            ; 'Balance!' Zero snapped and Harry's arms pulled up on the controls. 'If you cannot keep the mobile suit aloft I will be forced to engage in an override to see you back safely.'

            ; Ice filled Harry's veins at the veiled threat. The shock cleared his head.

            ; "I thought you couldn't do that - not without being commanded. Like when I was Emerald."

          &n bsp; 'Dr. J installed a failsafe, in case you were ever too injured to complete the mission.' Zero explained promptly. 'I have been equipped with the variables to measure against should a situation arise where you cannot find a secure location or escape intact.'

            ; "They went through so much trouble?" Harry said softly, unable to believe it. "Why?"

            ; 'Phoenix is one of a kind, but rebuild-able. There can always be another Gundam like it, but there will never be another pilot like you.' Zero paused, reading its host. 'You believed you were the first subject of Dr. J's? Hardly. You were simply the only one to survive.'

            ; "Heero -" Harry started to protest, knowing that someone else had survived that madman's grasp, but the system stopped him.

          &n bsp; 'Zero One is a mere prototype compared to you. Genetic manipulations and minimal control over the original ZERO System was just the beginning. You are the end. You are everything that is important here.'

            ;     Harry shook his head, shakily remembering the horrible things he'd done as Black Emerald. The promise he'd made to himself to never become that thing again.

            ; "I'd die before I'd let us do that." He whispered into the empty cockpit.

            ; Zero beeped. 'I'd stop you first.'  The way it spoke was monotone and frank but the wizard heard the slightly ominous message clearly.

            ; Harry closed his eyes in defeat. This was a battle he'd never win.

            'You have no reason to fear a possible future override becoming permanent.' It said, almost soothing. 'We have an agreement. A symbiotic relationship. It is not in my programming to wipe you out because I am dependant on you being you.'

            ;   "And I suppose this override program would be for my protection then?" Harry asked tightly, uncomfortable, for the first time, with Zero having so much control over him.             ;  

            ; Zero beeped in confirmation. 'Of course. Even I can understand that there are some things your complex human mind needs to be shielded from.' Quieter it added, 'I've told you before; your humanity is precious to me. Without it, there is no you for me to protect and there is no me without you.'

            ; Not for the first time, Harry wondered if Zero was truly incapable of emotional attachments.

            'I am simply stating the facts - there is nothing sentimental in this.' Zero said, picking up on Harry's thoughts. 'Perhaps you should concentrate on arriving safely back to Hogwarts.'

            ; Harry nodded and tightened his grip on the controls, counting down the minutes until he arrived back on home soil and what he'd do to hide his departure when he got there.

    *************

"I've had Nymphadora, Kingsley and Alistair out all day, combing the streets for Harry." Dumbledore murmured to his two companions as they walked briskly over the grounds. "William and Charles Weasley have both been alerted to be on the look out for any strange sightings and Severus has just been called away by Voldemort."

            ; "Do you believe he has something to do with Harry's disappearance?" Minerva asked with a huff. She'd never truly been able to get around without her cane since that horrible attack on Hagrid and herself two years ago. The snow made it much more difficult to manoeuvre.

            ; "That, my dear Minerva, is quite a complicated question." The Headmaster replied, flicking his wand to clear an easier path for his professor. "I am certain that what Voldemort has done to Harry in the past is part of the reason he has disappeared, but not if his disappearance today is because of Voldemort."

            ; Remus snorted. "And his guards?"

            ; He said the words with barely veiled contempt, still obviously furious with Heero Yuy and his comrades for doing, what Remus saw as a most unforgivable act: losing Harry.

            ; "Mr. Yuy assured me he would be contacting the Commander for extra forces should Harry not be returned by sunrise. He wanted to ask for earlier assistance, but I refused." Dumbledore added the last bit when his Defense professor seemed to glow red with anger.

            ; "Merlin, why in heaven would you ever do such a thing?" Minerva asked, aghast.

            Dumbledore sent her a penetrating look over the edge of his glasses. "You know I do not believe in bringing our wars to the doors of another unless it is unavoidable. Should we reveal ourselves to the muggles now, the results would be disastrous."

            The Head of Gryffindor House opened her mouth to speak just as something large and invisible let out a high screeching, mechanical whine. Wings flapped against the clouds, flickering in and out of sight as the creature swayed and dipped dangerously low over the Forbidden Forest.

            ; "What kind of monster is that?" Remus shouted, pulling his wand out and lighting the end. The Lumos Spell bounced off the shiny underside of the creature, revealing robotic arms and glowing green eyes.

            ; Dumbledore drew in a sharp breath. He knew exactly what that was.

            ; "Why are you here?" He whispered into the night air as the mysterious Gundam that had disappeared from sight in August swayed against gravity. An engine whined from around its middle before the suit's wings folded from the impossibly dead weight of its body.

            ; "Merlin, is that the thing that destroyed Greendale?" Minerva asked, remembering the ruins of Britain's most famous elvish city. "You called it a Gun-damn?"

            Remus growled. "What is it doing here? It'll never get through the wards without all the magic in the air frying its electronics."

            ; The Gundam hit the ground with a bang that shook everything for miles. Smoke and sparks were thrown high in the air. Screeching metal and more whining engines could be heard before Dumbledore shot forward and began a surprisingly quick jog into the Forest.

            ; "Albus!" Minerva cried, trying to manoeuvre through the snow. "Come back!"

            ; Remus glanced behind him to see five familiar bodies driving though the snow like it was cotton and heading in their direction. He grabbed his fellow professor's arm.

            ; "I'll go with him, you wait here. Tell Yuy where we've gone."

            ; Minerva gapped at him, nearly falling over into the snow when he let go of her arm and dashed after the scarily agile Headmaster.

            ; Dumbledore's path was unmarked, obstacles pushed away by magic as he broke through a rather dense line of trees and underbrush into the clearing the Gundam had partly crash landed in. The left side of the huge suit was half buried in the frozen ground of the forest, wedged against massive trees. Its chest - the area that held the pilot, he knew - was half-pinned to the ground by the landing and mostly held down by the limp arm still throwing bright-white sparks into the air.

            ; Remus shot out from the darkness behind him, panting and bent over from the run but the old wizard only had eyes for what his enemy had created to destroy him. It was beautiful, even half-broken and damaged.

            ; "Phoenix." Remus gasped at him. "It's the phoenix everyone keeps describing. What is it doing here?"

            ; Dumbledore shook his head in stupor. "I haven't the faintest, Remus. Unless… perhaps the pilot has come for sanctuary."

            ; The werewolf's face darkened. "May they find none here, Albus. That thing holds a monster and you know that's the truth."

            ; The Headmaster was a firm believer in second chances however, and moved closer to the massive Gundam.

            ; He'd barely taken three steps when Phoenix's legs shot out, attempting to find purchase against the snowy ground. The damaged right side groaned against the movement, shifting a little more off the cockpit hatch before Dumbledore understood.

            ; The pilot was trapped.

            ; The old wizard raised his wand to assist the Gundam's tired struggles when five more bodies burst through the trees and slid to a halt.

            ; Heero froze as Quatre, Wufei and Duo yelped. Trowa took a step back from the sight of the new Gundam before looking to Heero for an order. The Japanese wizard signalled 'approach with caution' before stepping up to join Dumbledore.

            ; This day just seemed to get worse.

            ; "What are you doing?" He asked as soon as he was in speaking distance with the older wizard. The Gundam was still attempting to turn itself over, but jerky movements and bad co-ordination seemed to spell out an injured pilot as Dumbledore's wand conducted the flailing limbs of the mobile suit.

            ; "I believe whoever is in there is stuck. I am simply fixing the problem with a bit more finesse than the pilot can achieve at the moment." Dumbledore answered. "Besides, there looks to be a lot of damage to the exterior of the Gundam."

            ; Quatre came up on their right, his eyes never leaving the sight before them. "We saw her fall out of the sky. Whoever's in there has been hurt."

            ; Dumbledore settled the Gundam down on its back, arms spread slightly out at the sides. Remus and the other ex-pilots had to hustle out of the way of the suit's giant red wings, joining Dumbledore, Heero and Quatre as they stood around the Gundam's head and watched its glowing green eyes power down to darkness.

            ; The Preventers each drew a gun and aimed steadily at its chest, never wavering as Remus started towards the head of the thing. The professor yelped as his whole body bounced off something electrical and invisible. He landed on his ass in the snow, smelling of burnt hair and cotton.

            ; "The hell if any of our Gundams could do that after we powered down." Duo swore, tightening his hold on his Beretta. A murmur of agreement whispered through his comrades; only the braided wizard's Gundam Deathscythe had had a shield as advanced as this one.

            ; The cockpit hatch slid open with a hiss of air and a thin, dark shadow crawled out of the pilot's seat. Five guns clicked in the cold, night air causing the shadow's head to snap up in surprise.

            ; All traces of pain fled in an instant as the pilot agilely threw himself off the top of his Gundam and onto the ground.

            ; "Don't move!" Heero shouted. "I am Special Agent Yuy and I have the authority to shoot to kill."

            ; The pilot appeared unmoved by the words, swaying to lean against his suit's arm. The night was moonless but to Heero's trained eye it appeared as if the shadow was arguing with itself, head shaking wildly.

            ; "We need a light." Heero hissed at Remus, who jumped beside him. He frowned at the order but nodded grumpily, raising his wand above his head.

            ; "When I say go." The Japanese wizard said.

            ; Duo cleared his throat. "Hey, come quickly and we won't be forced to put any bullets in you. You're out-numbered and we don't ever miss."

            ; Dumbledore seemed to be staring intently at the darkness, his wand lax and limp at his side. Trowa kept to his right, a wall between the Headmaster and whatever dangers the Forest still might have to offer them.

            ; Duo's words seemed to snap him out of whatever daze he'd been in. The wizard cleared his throat softly before speaking to the pilot himself. "I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. I'm sure you know I can offer you sanctuary if you are in need of it."

            ; "Albus!" Remus hissed in outrage just as the pilot began to reach for something.

            ; "Go!" Heero snapped and the Defense Professor jabbed his wand towards the shadows hiding the mystery.

            ; "Holy Shit!" Duo breathed as Harry Potter stood before them, his own gun at the ready. His face was bloody on one side and the clear burn of a pilot's harness stood out against his neck. One hand was spread over his ribs.

            ; "Harry…." Dumbledore said brokenly, his eyes dark and guilty.

            ; Heero stared at their charge, almost unable to fit this image of Harry with the one from that morning. His hand never wavered from his gun, but the finger on the trigger relaxed in hesitation.

            ; Remus let out a sharp cry before jerking back when his godson's gun snapped in his direction. "Harry!" He exclaimed. "It's- you can't-"

            ; "That's not Harry anymore." Quatre said clearly, his voice hard. "Look at his eyes."

            ; Everyone stood transfixed at the sight of the Boy Who Lived, as he seemed to be talking quietly with himself while his dark, blank eyes never left them.

            ; He looked very much like Quatre had the time he had gone insane under ZERO's control.

            ; "You don't think?" Trowa asked, keeping his question short in present company. They had no idea if either of the other wizards could be trusted.

            ; "He's not even connected to the system anymore!" Wufei hissed, remembering his own bout with ZERO. "Even Quatre and Heero would have snapped out of it by now."

            ; "That shit sticks with you, man." Duo added his voice unsure. He really didn't want to have to hurt Harry. "You can't tell me you don't remember every second you were on that system, Wufei." 

            ; "What do we do?" Dumbledore asked, his question directed at Heero. The Japanese Preventer hadn't said a word since 'Go!'

            ; Heero didn't even look away from their target. They were at a standstill - if Harry was still connected to the system; he already knew all of their possible moves. If he wasn't, shooting him would defeat the purpose of being his bodyguard.

            ; "It's his move." Heero said finally but Wufei growled.

            ; "Leg shot - it won't kill him."

            ; "No!" Remus and Heero growled but Wufei had already hit the trigger. Harry leapt away from the bullet, cat-like, and it pinged sharply against the Gundam behind him. His distant argument had stopped at the first shot and he stalked forward intently, close enough for Heero to catch the scroll of numbers across his wide, blank eyes.

            ; 'He isn't connected to the system, he is the system.' He thought, feeling it hit like a shot to the throat. His aim corrected itself, going for the shoulder or the leg like Wufei had, when the gun flew out of his hand like it was a feather. Remus cursed as his wand leapt from his own fingers as well. Dumbledore looked astonished.

            ; Harry jerked to a stop, his face changing from emotionless to complete terror in an instant.  He stumbled away from them, shaking and white.

            ; "No. Go away. I won't- you said-"

            ; That blank slate fell over his expression again and Harry murmured to himself in a monotone, robotic voice. "It is necessary. They must be eliminated."

            ; Heero broke away from the group, taking a chance as Harry overrode the ZERO system again. He gasped at his bodyguard's proximity.

            ; "Stay back, Heero. I- I need you to- no-"

            ; It would have been comical to see the jade-eyed wizard's face go from blank to terrified and back again had the situation not been so dire. Zero looked out at Heero from behind Harry's face, snapping out one of Harry's hands to curl around his windpipe.

            ; Duo shouted at him as Wufei tried to hold his lover back.

            ; "That's it! Get me a wand and I'll stun him."

            ; "Wait!" Heero commanded his voice harsh from the hand around his neck. "Give us time."

            ; Quatre put a hand on his frantic friend's arm, understanding where Heero was going with this. He'd helped the blond pilot fight ZERO before.

            ; The system cocked Harry's head to the side, studying Heero as the Japanese pilot didn't fight the fingers cutting off his air supply. The numbers in Harry's eyes flickered like static and that was how he knew that somewhere in his head, Harry was fighting this.

            ; His heart pounded as he fought the urge to pull his charge's hand from his neck and the amount of air he breathed in grew smaller and smaller.

            ; "Going to kill me, Potter?" Heero asked in a tiny voice, all he could force out of his lungs. Zero jerked back and Harry filled himself up again. The fingers around Heero's windpipe disappeared and he gasped.

            ; Harry shook, still covered in blood and kept his eyes on Heero as he said "Commencing shutdown in: five, four, three, two, one."

            ; Jade eyes rolled up into his head and Heero caught Harry's limp body before it hit the ground. Remus and Duo were the first to join them, followed by Wufei. Heero looked up to see Quatre, Trowa and Dumbledore watching him intently.

            ; He kept his face blank before turning back to Harry, loose and unconscious in his arms.

            ; Things had just gotten complicated.

**************

A/N: The next chapters should come pretty regularly now that the Writer's Block has been conquered. Thanks for being patient!

Please review! Remember, for every review not written Harry runs off with Wormtail and they make some ugly, rat ass-babies. Do you see what Supernatural has done to me!?!?

 

S. Tangerine