War Criminals

"Ms. Chibiusa are you saying that your people can keep their powers under control?" Governor Brewer frowned looking me over. Her hair had gone white in the last year, a subtle change from the champagne blonde of her younger years.

"I am saying that we can keep our powers under control. Schools have been set up to teach newcomers how to use their elements. If you force them into your Control Act, make them participate in your armies, they'll disappear underground," I said. All lights seemed to be shining on me, blinding me from the lone podium where I stood. The crowd gathered around me seemed too large. People from all over the world gathered at the capital building in Phoenix to watch the debate. The sheer volumes of people made me nervous.

"Where is Darien? He is your leader, isn't he?" She demanded. I frowned wondering the same thing. Darien had been the first to discover his Earth Elemental power, the first to hone his ability and the first to come out that he had it. As a result he'd been elected our spokes person keeping him busier than ever.

"He's in another meeting," I lied hoping that she wouldn't see me bite my cheek as I did. Lying had never been something I was good at. "The point is we don't need to be controlled. We can do good for the people, but we don't need to be forced into the military. Isn't that what your suits are for?"

She cringed at the mention of the larger-than-life metal suits that had been created for military use. They had been the reason radiation had filled the air the day Arizona experienced its biggest earthquake ever. The reason some of the world's population had experienced control over elements. The world had changed that day, most cities destroyed in the blast of radiation that shot into the air. Things were slowly starting to get back to a sense of normalcy, but nothing would ever be the same.

"The suits don't think for themselves," she replied pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "The last Water Elemental here pushed so much water into Arizona we experienced a real flood, something Arizona doesn't deal with. Ever. People lost homes, lives. We aren't equipped to deal with unnatural elements in our state."

"One person doesn't act for the rest of us," I replied frowning at the reference. I knew what she meant. A Water Elemental, who didn't understand his power, pulled water into the Colorado River flooding all of Arizona and into Utah in an attempt to water the scorched desert. The results were devastating, but since then Darien had set up schools around the country to teach Elementals how to use their powers. "We know that powers manifest themselves in early teenage years. Parents have been taught to recognize the signs. We are doing what we can to inform people."

"It doesn't always start in adolescence and you know it. There have been plenty of adults who have discovered their powers and it's been a year since Radiation," Governor Brewer argued smoothing out the wrinkles around her lips.

"Those seem to be anomalies. If the powers hadn't appeared within a month of Radiation then they don't have them," I argued. My voice had nearly become a grunt in my frustration. I hadn't been prepared for this argument. Darien had and I didn't know much of the statistics that he had sat up late discovering. Sleep had been more important.

"How can you even keep track of who does have them? Is there some sort of system?" Another asked. Rei snorted in annoyance from somewhere to my left. The government controlled everything from the internet to the military now that the suits had been created. Everything was monitored by President Treize Khushrenada, the creator of the military suits and the Mobile Suit Foundation.

"Our mission is nothing but peace, to learn our abilities and use them to help others and the planet. Not as weapons in war," I argued. Sweat formed on my forehead and I fought the urge to wipe it away. "We will not use our powers to force the Average to do what you want."

"So you're trying to keep your information away from the rest of the world," Governor Brewer said. My eyes closed and I tried to take a deep breath. Rei sniffed and I could picture the modelesque girl snarling as she'd done often lately. "Trying to keep your "good" limited to yourselves?"

"No, we aren't. The MS pilots aren't required to register themselves or the weapons they carry. We don't believe that our situation is any different," I said gripping the sides of the podium until my knuckles turned white. Outside I could hear noises from protesters trying to push for peace and freedom of the Elementals. "MS soldiers carry modified weapons that connect to their nervous system making them steadier and more accurate than any other weapon. I find that to be more of a risk to Average's than Elementals."

"Their weapons can be taken away. What can we do with you? There isn't a way to strip you of your elemental powers." Governor Brewer smirked. Even the curls in my hair seemed to deflate as I floundered for a reply. "People have escaped prison because of these elemental powers."

"We can't control the actions of others, just the Elemental Peacekeepers. I can't imagine all of your MS pilots are sane and capable of keeping the peace," I retorted feeling my face burn. She had me and she knew it. Our group couldn't-wouldn't control everyone with an elemental power. There were simply too many in the world.

"If you are referring to the incident in Florida, that wasn't our fault. We hadn't taken into account the psychological ramifications to piloting the suits and connecting directly to someone's brain. There really isn't a foolproof way of analyzing a person's future actions," President Khushrenada said. He made his way down the center aisle. I tried to shade my eyes in an attempt to see him. Icy blue eyes locked with mine as he ran a hand through sandy hair. "Not yet anyways."

I frowned swallowing hard. "That could be said for the Elementals. We may be a group trying to keep peace, but we can't control everyone."

"Understandable Miss?" He took a stand beside Governor Brewer arms folded behind his back.

"Chibiusa," I scowled, eyes narrowed. President Khushrenada looked every bit the perfect gentleman in a fine grey suit pressed to perfection. A small handkerchief hung folded in his pocket near the pin on his lapel that showed the symbol for the Khushrenada Peace Foundation. His shoes shone as if they'd just been polished and he wore snowy gloves that should have been marked with dust and dirt from the Arizona desert.

"Miss Chibiusa. We are merely suggesting that the Control Act would better defend when Elementals grow crazy," he explained. "We could track anyone that went rogue. Find murderers and such. Our mission, as always and very similar to your own, is nothing but peace." I thought about the Romafeller Faction that had been linked to several Average and Elemental killings lately. Treize was not a man of peace.

I took another deep breath smoothing out my face. "It isn't proven that the powers make people crazy. That was one case."

"Either way it would be important for the world to be able to know who had powers, wouldn't you say Miss Chibiusa?" His voice sounded so condescending that I wanted to hit him, something I wasn't really known for.

"The way you would register a sex offender, or a rapist?" I snarled doing my best to keep my tone in check. Treize always seemed so smooth when he spoke, never breaking his perfect gentle tone.

"I can see how you could take it that way," he replied. "A way that was not intended. Perhaps we should evaluate this again. Find a better way to agree on the subject. Maybe next time Mr. Chiba can attend the meeting since he has been labeled your leader."

I closed my eyes. "I hope he does attend. Darien knows more about the statistics than I do."

"Understandably. We shall reconvene at a later date then," President Khushrenada announced turning to the group of press, congressmen and women and then me. "Perhaps we shall come up with a better solution."

"I hope so," I said not listening to the rest of what was said in the meeting. People started flooding out of the building.

"You did good up there," Rei Hino said, but her sharp features held a frown. I wasn't sure if she was lying to me, something the religious priestess wasn't known for, or if she was upset with the disappearance of Darien and Relena Peacecraft, the face behind the Elemental Peace Movement. I tried to picture the soft spoken woman, barely a year older than myself. Her emerald green eyes and tawny hair graced any picture or commercial that had to do with Elemental Peace.

"I did horribly. Has anyone heard from Darien or Relena?" Rei shook her head. "You should have gone up there."

Rei frowned. "You knew the information and statistics better than I. You did all the research with Darien and you know I hate to say that." She winked in an attempt to make me feel better. It didn't.

"You are better at speaking in front of crowds." She waited while I gathered the notes I'd quickly scribbled when I realized Darien was missing. Coming off the steps of the podium I tripped falling face first onto the hard floor.

"That's true," Rei admitted bending over to help me up. A few chuckled in the room but Rei didn't. She'd seen my awkward movements before.

My eyes narrowed as I brushed myself off. "What the fudge Rei? Where are they?"

"Why can't you cuss like normal people?" She sighed rolling violet eyes.

I tried to hide a smile knowing how much my curse words annoyed her. "Everyone cusses. I'd rather be different."

"Everyone knows what you mean." She handed me an icepack from a cooler. I placed it over my nose sniffing in hope that it wouldn't bleed. "Why not just say it?"

"I don't want to say it. That's what makes me different," I replied walking with her out into the hazy day. The sky had turned slate grey in the warm afternoon heat. I felt sticky as humidity formed in the air, a change from the dry heat we'd been experiencing lately.

"Are you worried about Darien?" She whispered following me to the mini car I drove. We both took seats before I would answer. I tried not to worry, tried not to wonder where he was or what he was doing.

"I don't know." The words came out more shaken than I'd intended them to.

"You were fine until last year. Now all of the sudden you barely talk," Rei said, her voice so soft I barely heard the words. I wondered if she still liked him. She'd dated him before.

My heart caught in my throat. As much as I didn't want to admit it we had grown distant since he'd taken on the Elemental Peace Movement and I'd graduated high school. "He's busy. I'm busy. We're all busy trying to keep ahead of the Control Act. He hasn't even remembered my nineteenth birthday."

"You're birthday isn't until September. It's July," she informed me. We pulled away from the capital building and onto the busy streets. I didn't like driving in the large city, the roads packed with people.

"I know, but he hasn't said anything." My heart sunk. Darien had been my first crush, and my first boyfriend. He'd been my first kiss and first date. We'd grown so far apart I wasn't sure there was going to be any more firsts since I was saving myself for marriage.

"Maybe he's got a surprise for you," she said holding onto the dashboard with white knuckles. Rei hated my driving. She hated anything she couldn't control, even her control over fire.

"Do you know something I don't know? In case you haven't been here all day, he hasn't been around," I grumbled pulling onto the busy freeway. Protesters seemed to stand at every corner holding signs against the Control Act or the Mobile Suit Foundation.

"I know. They aren't answering their phones. I get it and no. I don't know anything you don't," Rei replied rubbing her temples. She'd heard me whine about Darien enough lately. I could tell she was reaching the end of her patience. I needed to talk to my other friends, Mina or Lita.

"Where the heck are they?" I asked myself. We started the two hour drive back to Prescott as rain began pouring.

"Serena stop," she whined. "I know you're worried, but enough is enough."

The rain on the windshield made if difficult to see. Water flooded the roadways and people began slow driving as if they'd never driven in their life. Dust mingled with the water forming mud in areas, pools of water splashing around us. The wipers squealed filling the silence. Rei reached over flipping on the radio, but I tuned the sound out. Wind whipped the car making it difficult to steer.

"Where's Ami when we need her?" I whined thinking about my Water Elemental friend. She could clear the roadways making it easier to drive.

"Where's anyone today?" Rei replied turning up the volume to drown out my voice. My eyes narrowed as we drove on in silence leaving Phoenix far behind.