AN: Whoo hoo! Tenth chapter is up! Sorry for the long wait, but now I've been going on through a writing streak ^_^.

Chapter Ten

"Our family's a family of five: three boys, two girls. My oldest brother died a while ago when I was only around four or so, but I didn't find that out until later," Heero began.

"So where were you, then?" Relena asked. She looked at him for a moment before looking at her hands. "I...I mean, where were you during the time of your brother's death?"

"Stuck in an underground facility in colony L1," he answered. "My sister, Kaede, my younger brother and myself were undergoing these experiments. My father was a scientist for the Red Hawks, so he used us to test a new prototype system to improve soldiers' physical stases."

"Red Hawks? Is that what these people are called?" Lady Une asked.

Heero nodded.

"If your father was doing all of these...experiments on your and your siblings...where was your mother during all of this time?" Quatre asked.

Heero had a faraway look in his eyes, a blue flame flickering inside. "She...was oblivious to what he was doing to us. He used to make up some stupid excuse to her at home and then take us to the facility. He wouldn't take my older brother, though, because he was considered 'too old' for the experiment."

"'Too old'?" Noin repeated.

"The experiments were best effective when given to small children because their brains aren't as developed as adults."

"What were these...experiments?" Gally asked curiously.

"We...were injected with some sort of serum, I guess. Wasn't too sure what it was. Then the scientists would put us in a variety of exercises to build our physical capabilities: running, dodging, swimming, vision tests and the like. After we were able to master those, then they would put us through a proto-military training in a sense."

"So, that serum was able to sharpen and enhance your physical capabilities," Zechs murmured in understanding.

"My brother found out what our father was doing and went in to rescue us," Heero continued, then he broke a very sarcastic smile. "The only thing was I didn't know that he was my brother then."

"What was his name?" Relena asked.

"Never really knew. He didn't tell. All there is in the records is his codename: Odin Lowe."

<in the ambulance>

Kaede sneezed. And sneezed again.

"Bless you, Kaede-neechan!" Kitsune said.

Kaede sniffed the last bit of fresh air that she had. "Aa, arigatou, Kitsune-chan."

She was closing in the Preventers' safehouse, being careful to not drive so fast for Andy who was in the back. However, while listening to Kitsune's chatter, her mind was wondering what Heero was discussing to the others: his friends that he had refused to recognize.

We aren't capable to taking them all on our own. You have to at least have them help us, she thought.

<Preventers' safehouse>

"Odin Lowe? The man who saved you was your own brother?" Duo asked incredulously.

"What Doctor J had told me was that he was working under him as a mercenary-for-hire," Heero replied. "My brother wasn't going to high school like my father had thought. He had met up with Doctor J who had taught him pretty much the mastery of becoming a perfect assassin. Unfortunately, he was shot to death by a sniper rifle when he was trying to blow up the facility after rescuing us. Kaede and I had to complete the job for him."

"Only Kaede and you? What happened to your other brother?" Lady Une asked.

Once again Heero had the distant look in his eyes as he delved even further into his memories.

"...I'm not sure," he slowly replied. "When Odin invade the facility, he tried to let us escape through the emergency space capsules; but he was only able to launch my younger brother because security reached us. I suppose that he's on Earth somewhere, but I'm not so sure. He could've also been shot down by Alliance troops because they forbid travel between the colonies and Earth."

"You said...that you had two brothers and sisters," Relena slowly said, absorbing every little detail. "But you only mentioned Kaede. Who's your other sister?"

Heero smiled a very teasing smile. "Couldn't you see the similarities between us? Kitsune's my imouto." Before anyone could ask any further questions, he explained, "Kitsune was born a few years after my youngest brother was born, after we had escaped from the facility. She was immediately taken away from my mother at infancy by the Red Hawks and transferred to Alberta's base here. That's where Andy found her and took care of her. They both underwent a totally different exercise than what Kaede and I went through. From what Andy has told me, a microchip was inserted into the back of their brainstem that contained the same serum that was injected into us. The serum was ten times more powerful, creating what the Red Hawks called their 'perfect soldiers'."

"Than what does that make Andy?" Gally asked. "Family wise, I mean."

"I guess you can say that he's my cousin."

An intercom rang in the room, disrupting Heero's lengthy story. However, he looked as if he was done with interrogation. For now, anyway. Zechs answered.

"What is it?" he asked through the speaker.

"Sir, uh...there's this woman and child asking for admittance," came a voice. "Do I let them in, sir?"

"Is there anyone else with them?" Zechs continued.

"Um...there's an injured young man in the back of the ambulance."

"That's probably Kaede and Kitsune," Heero said.

Zechs nodded in agreement. "Let them in and tell the meds to get their asses of of their seats and bring the young man in there some attention."

"Hai!"

After a few moments, Kitsune and Kaede entered the room. The girl was bouncing around like she hadn't had a single injury at all as she greeted the gang.

"Konnichiwa, minna-san!" she said.

"Kitsune, what happened to your gun wound?" Relena asked incredulously, pointing at the girl's shoulder.

Kitsune looked at her left shoulder for a second and then laughed, rotating her shoulder to show that she was fine.

"It's all better now!" she said. "Although it's kinda sore..."

Whatever doubts that everyone had about Heero's story was diminished. Duo let out a low whistle.

"And I thought Heero trying to fix is own leg was bad," he murmured under his breath.

Kaede looked at her brother for a moment and then at everyone else.

"Maa, I guess he told the story to you guys," Kaede addressed in her usually optimistic fashion.

"...Sort of," Wufei muttered.

Kaede flipped back her hair, looking at the Preventers with a businesslike expression on her face. "Let's get started, shall we?"