Chapter 1
Past Introductions
Relena walked into the Presidential Suite and dropped her suitcase onto the chair next to the door. She was angry to say the least, and the frustration of having to hold it in gave her a splitting headache. She walked up to the desk that was so envied and passed her hand along the surface of the mahogany table as if she were caressing a child. She had sacrificed so much for this position, though it was not her choice to be the President of the World.
She turned quickly as she heard footsteps outside the door. She straightened her body to give it the regal look that had given her the name: The Princess. She wiped away the tears that she had not known that she shed a moment before and put on her most dignified face. Lady Une, walked into the room with the expression of a woman haunted. " How could this have happened!" she whispered angrily. Relena shook her head and smiled. "This is not your fault Lady Une. I have been preparing for this since the beginning of my reign as the President. It is quite amazing that I have gotten through eight years without this happening." she said with cheeriness she did not feel.
In truth her heart was breaking. It took all her will to keep the tears that were brimming from falling over their lids. "But Madame President, you have been protected by the best body guards that exist on earth! How could someone have penetrated the building without my knowing!" she said angrily, slamming her fist into the wall. Relena took a step forward and put her hand on Lady Une's shoulder. "It was expected that someone would threaten my existence. I have been threatened before Une, I think my going into hiding for a while is the best course of action until the threat can be exposed." she said logically. Lady Une nodded.
"Then let me provide the best protection in the world Madame President." she said quickly. She took her cell phone out and barked into it, then turned to Relena once again. "We have had some of the best agents in the world on missions of great importance to the safety of the world. I realize now, that you should have been assigned one of these agents. Without you Madame President, the peace of this world is endangered. I do apologize." she said sincerely. Relena waved her hand in dismissal. "You have done an amazing job so far Lady Une. You are not to blame." she said calmly.
As Lady Une nodded and left, Relena was able to let down the temporary walls of strength that hid her desolation. She slid to the ground and let the tears she had been holding back flow down her face and drip onto the glossy wooden floor.
It had been two days before when someone had gotten into her bedroom and held her down on the bed while he assaulted her. She remembered the feeling of helplessness and pain as the person ripped the clothes from her body and forced himself into her. She had screamed, but the scream was muffled by the person's hand, which was clasped over her mouth in a death grip.
She had fought all she could, but all she did was make it more painful to endure. She remembered the person forcing a drug down her throat that caused her to pass out long enough for the person to slip away from her room and escape. The person had left a note on her dresser and when her maid found her in the morning she was taken directly to the hospital where dozens of tests were taken on her, leaving her exhausted and terrified.
The only thing that equaled her terror was the shame she felt every time she thought about what the person had done to her. Not only had her body been assaulted, but her sense of security had been taken away from her as well. She found herself looking around every corner and having her heart leap into her throat every time she heard footsteps. She had even begun to sleep with a light on as if she were a child. The thought brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes.
Her Head of Security, Lady Une, was both shocked and disgusted by what had occurred, but Relena knew she was worried most of all about her position. She had not done her job. She had let someone into the President's Castle and the president had therefore been sexually assaulted. She knew her ass was on the line and it gave her a new form of motivation to find the person who had done this.
Forcing herself to her feet, Relena walked briskly to the bathroom where she then vomited into the sink. Her body began to shake and knees became weak. She washed her face with cold water and rinsed out her mouth with mouthwash. She walked back into the Suite where Lady Une was standing with three familiar people. The first she recognized as Duo. His long, silky brown braid was something she could not forget. The recently recruited soldier Hilde, who she recognized but did not know and...Heero.
He was standing straight with his head forward and his beautifully chiseled face was impassive as usual. His lean, muscular body was as always, perfectly proportioned and although he had matured and also grown taller, as Duo had, he still had the boyish features of his youth. Relena froze and stared at him for a second, then continued to walk into the room. "Madame President, these are only three of our six agents on the team assigned to you. As you must have realized by now, we have assigned to you all of the original Gundam pilots as well as Agent Hilde Maxwell. She is one of the best, and since all the Gundam pilots are men, it seemed necessary for me to have a woman along as well. You are going to be gone for months depending on how long it takes us to find this person or persons. You will need the company." she said, letting her voice soften at the end. Relena merely nodded shortly. She then nodded to the people in which she must now entrust her life and walked back to her room where she began preparing her things for their departure.
Meanwhile, Heero could barely keep his composure. He had never seen Relena look so broken down. He knew she was trying her best to hide it, but he had been her bodyguard once, he knew her better than he would have liked to admit. He knew that she always had a spark of life and even a trace defiance behind those beautiful golden eyes. Now, there was nothing. Not even a glint of life was left. She had been broken.
Anger mixed with terror flood his being so strong that it was hard for him not to hit something. What could this person have done that would break a spirit like Relena's? The team was not informed of what the intruder had done, only that someone had gotten in and now the President was forced to flee or die. It drove him crazy, but silently so. He would not show signs of this weakness to anyone; he had barely accepted it himself. Frowning slightly, he watched the President walk back into the room and as two servants took her things and carried them out, he followed.
Relena had thought she saw concern in the eyes of Heero Yuy, someone she had long since was incapable of emotion. But a mere moment after she thought she saw it, it was gone. She shook her head slightly to stop herself from breaking down and followed the group out into the Land Rover that awaited them. They climbed into the truck and she observed as Heero climbed into the drivers seat, and with the same ease that he did everything, he drove off.
"This should not have happened!" Duo said from the passengers seat. "It doesn't matter now." Heero said resignedly. His face was devoid of expression. "We know that it is imperative that we get the President to the third moon." he said. Relena, who had been staring blankly out of the window next to her, looked around and stared. "The third moon! I do not think this is necessary. Surely there is a colony willing to harbor me!" she said indignantly. Hilde shook her head. "You underestimate the danger you are in. There could very well be spies on every colony waiting for you to arrive. Then they could make their move" she said simply.
Relena shuddered violently at these words. Someone had already made their move! Hilde frowned and touched the President's shoulder. "Are you alright Madame President?" she asked at once. Relena painted a smile on her face. "I am fine. I just do not think that there is any reason to go to such lengths. The third moon is a desolate and dangerous place. How could anyone who wishes for my safety want to send me there?" she asked still a bit shaken.
Heero, who had seen her reaction to what Hilde had said, answered swiftly. "I think we could handle the third moon Madame President. We have endured far worse than an untamed planet. That is why Lady Une has sent us all. With our combined effort, your safety is garanteed." he said in his usual monotone. Relena closed her eyes. Her safety had been guaranteed before. Yet still, someone had gotten to her.
Hilde noticed the strained look Relena had and narrowed her eyes at her. She knew there was something more that happened other than the castle merely being penetrated. From the respect Heero and Duo had for her, Hilde knew that the president was not weak. After all, Heero despised weakness. She watched carefully as Relena shifted uncomfortably in her seat and let out a sigh so soft that had she not been paying particular attention, she would not have heard it. Then she heard Duo's laugh and a smile crept across her lips.