Prologue

A tall dark haired woman nervously paced in a brightly lit and overly sterile waiting room. Unread magazines were piled on top of the cheaply made tables nestled between barely comfortable chairs. She stole quick glances at the operating room through the opaque portholes in the double doors that separated her from her life's work, waiting. A slowly pulsing red lighted sign blinked above the door. It's crimson letters taunting her with its warning, "Do Not Enter." 'Will it work? Will he survive?' She could not quell her raging thoughts as they threatened to shatter her waning sanity. Suddenly the light blinked no more and all time seemed to stop. In an instant she blew through the double doors and into the room. Like the waiting room it was overly sterile with no sign of color on the cleanly bleached walls. It was filled with surgeons, technicians and every possible medical instrument she could name, and a few she could not. Her eyes darted first to the young boy restrained to the table then to the monitors, desperately seeking any result other than what she feared. With a sigh of great relief she realized they all read: Stable. Her eyes once again settled on the patient. She could see where his light brown hair should have been upon his freshly shaved scalp and his well-defined muscles on his right arm but not much else, he was to be the epitome of a lifetime of work finally realized, or so she hopped. Tentatively she asked, "Is it working?"

"Just waiting on you ma'am," responded the technician to her left. He was an average looking man, though like everyone he wore a surgical mask and scrubs so his features were obscured from her. He sat at a console waiting for the command. He seemed to look overly uneasy at the boy. Then as if he sensed her thoughts, "Ma'am, are you sure about this? I mean he is your..."

He ground to a halt under the power of her penetrating and icy glare, "Just do it," was her frigid response to his unfinished question.

She heard him swallow audibly; he had overstepped his bounds this time and she would see to it that he was punished for it. He did as he was told and started the activation protocol. A low hum gradually filled the room as all the machinery in the room slowly came to life around them. As the decibels grew so did the anticipation as every eye centered on the lone boy still restrained on the table. He just lay there perfectly still on the cold hard operating table with the lights reflected off his smooth, bald head. She enjoyed a moment of brief satisfaction at noticing there were no signs of cutting to his scalp, 'Good, the dermal regenerator is working perfectly,' the hum grew to near deafening level to the point where everyone wondered why they had not brought ear protection, but then abruptly stopped and plunged the room into complete and utter silence.

For a long moment no one even dared to breath. Just as she started to feel something might have gone awry her eyes caught the slightest bit of movement. The boy's fingers started to slowly curl and relax, curl and relax. The boys breathing was slow and steady and the instruments shown his vitals returning to normal. The room erupted into joyous cheers for he had survived the procedure. Everyone was overjoyed and patting each other on the backs except the woman, she just waited and watched. Without indication or prior warning the abruptly boy started to convulse violently. His body thrashed desperately against his restraints, fighting for his very life it seemed. He arched his back lifting his body off the table. The monitors all went ballistic showing readings that didn't even make sense. Everyone heard the creaking of metal as the table strained against the stress of his powerful arms and legs. Instinctively everyone took a step back from their creation as if they feared he may be able to break free at any moment.

"My god…" whispered one of the technicians though she was not sure who fore she could not take her eyes off of the convulsing boy.

Just as quickly as it had started the boy stopped and dropped back down to the table, and with a sigh shared by all, the boy was perfectly still. The monitors were all showing error messages then so no one was sure what to do. The boy was breathing normally so once again the room breathed a sigh of relief when suddenly the boy's eyes snapped open and emitted a cold, unholy, yellow glow, and that was when he screamed.

"Miss Relena!" Herald, a young political aid, called as he trotted across the backstage area of the opera house towards the young women. She stood about 5'2'' with long blond hair reaching the small of her back, being restrained by a blue silk ribbon. He came to a stop just as Relena's serene face and deep blue eyes turned towards him. She always installed confidence in her aids with that never wavering smile and he was no exception. He had never felt that he was a very important man in his line of work, but when she looked upon him he always felt as any head of state must, that they were the sole facet of her entire world. It was quite intoxicating.

"Yes Herald, is it quick? I am due to speak in front of the entire World Nation in a few moments." She was short but not harshly so. She smiled and her smiled seemed to emit its' own light that warmed all around her.

Herald was quick so as not to delay her but this was far too important to wait, "I am sorry Vice Foreign Minister but we just received a report from the Preventer's that I was advised must be brought to you this instant." He handed her his charge, a small folder labeled Top Secret. As she carefully reviewed its contents he looked nervously around the room. He could see the stage where Relena was due for her speech and the podium prominently in the middle littered with microphones. He knew there must be thousands of men and women in attendance from the sheer hum of noise coming through the thick burgundy colored curtains that blocked his view of the main hall. He did notice a few members of security standing discretely by the exits; they seemed to be the only other people there. Relena always kept her security light; she felt having too many would off put the people she met with on a day to day basis.

"So the munitions due for disposal in warehouses 1a-5d have all gone missing? That is very troubling, we should…"

She quieted as one of her security approached, "I am very sorry to interrupt Ma'am but it is time."

She sighed and glanced to her watch, "Yes thank you Thomas," she turned back to Herald and handed him the report. "I will address this the moment I am done here. Wait right here for me."

Herald could not help but smiled and reply somewhat sheepishly, "Ma'am I would not miss one of your speeches for the world, I have a seat front and center to experience it properly."

To his surprise her smiled seemed to intensify for a brief moment, "Alright but meet me back here right after." He nodded his emphatic agreement and then rushed to make it back to his seat before she took stage. When he finally made it into the auditorium he was not disappointed by the turnout. It was filled to the brim with everyone from reporters to heads of state to just regular people who all came to experience this first hand. He knew millions of others were watching from the comfort of their own homes as well. Her speeches were always big events and he cherished his unique access to them. He found his seat quickly enough and got comfortable just as Miss Relena gracefully took the stage.

Herald further settled back into his seat as she began to speak, her voice ringing out through the large speakers in the hall. He had followed her career for over a decade, ever since she was known as Queen Relena during the war. It was then that she captured his heart with her sincere kindness and strong leadership. As soon as the war ended and she took up her role as the Vice Foreign Minister in the new government that followed he knew he wanted to be in her corner. It always puzzled him why should have never sought a higher post. He knew if she had ever run for President she would win by a landslide and yet she seemed happy where she was.

He let her calming words wash over him like a gentle breeze and found himself nodding along. He knew what the topic was going to be about beforehand but he never tired of hearing her speak. She was gaining steam and he could feel she was reaching her apex. He sat a little straighter in anticipation for what was to come. She raised her hand to accent her point when without warning that room was filled with what surly must have been an explosion. His ears rang as the rest of the room fell silent. Time seemed to stop as Herald looked upon Relena and he saw for the first time her sapphire eyes filled with shock and confusion as she slowly fell backwards, leaving behind a podium covered in a crimson spray.