Heart of the Storm

Chapter Two

Trinity stared into the cup of black coffee that sat in front of her on the table. Hardly touched, it had gone cold long ago. Silence still remained between her and her younger brother. So many things were running through her mind and she didn't quite know how to voice any of them. She knew Heero had questions, she could see it in his eyes. If he could just ask one of them, she'd know where to start.

But Heero was so used to getting answers just by a look; he was unsure what to ask. He'd spent the several moments of silence narrowing it down to a few. Finally, he settled on one which should have been the first to come to mind.

"What happened to you after we were separated?" he finally asked, his normally monotonous voice softened.

Trinity sighed inwardly in relief. At last, a place to start. She took in a deep, hesitant breath before finally looking up to him, meeting the eyes that mirrored hers.

"The training that you started when he finally caught you a few days later, he started on me that night. I was older, and could handle some more… hands on training." She sat back and thought over a few things before continuing, intentionally skipping details.

"When we were reunited a few years later, it was for comparison. We had different training procedures, but the end result was the same. Then he sold us." She leaned forward again and rested her elbows on the table.

"You know that our …father… was only interested in the business of war. He wasn't interested in taking sides; he provided new weapons for whoever would pay him. You and I were successes at his latest achievement, at that time, the 'Perfect Soldiers'. Didn't you ever wonder why there were only two of us?"

He looked down to the table as he realized the answer. "One for each side. Equal weapons means a longer war. A longer war means more business."

She nodded as she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Dr. J had first choice because he offered the most money. You were still young and moldable. He had a chance to undo some of the training that was imposed on you." She took a cigarette from the pack and placed it between her lips as she searched other pockets for her lighter. "I was sent to Romeffeler. I was too old to learn any different. They only reinforced the training, anyway." She found the lighter and lit the cigarette, taking a few puffs to make sure it was lit before setting the lighter on top of the pack on the table.

"You shouldn't smoke," he said, looking back to her. "It's bad for your health."

She took another puff and inhaled deeply before answering. "So is war, but that hasn't stopped either of us. I have a better chance of dying on the battlefield than dying of lung cancer."

He nodded after a moment. "Point taken." He studied her for a moment before speaking again. "So, what happened when you were sent to Earth?"

She took another drag of the cigarette and looked down, dumping the ashes into her cold coffee. "Romefeller was more than pleased with their Perfect Soldier. They wanted more, but were unwilling to fork over neither the time nor the money to our father to train others. They had two prisoners, your age, whose spirits were already near broken, that I was instructed to train as I had been trained." Her eyes remained on the table top and she didn't continue for several minutes.

She looked back to him as she took another puff. "Instead of breaking them, they broke me, reminded me of feelings, emotions that I had forgotten. They became my friends, my family. I was still able to train them, but they weren't the soldiers Romefeller bargained for, and neither was I, anymore. But it was good enough. Word had reached them about Operation Meteor, and theory about the gundams. Oz had the best pilots on Earth and we were sent to them for training. It was hoped that the three of us would intercept the gundams in space."

"Obviously, that didn't happen." He leaned forward and just watched her, listening. He wanted to hear everything. It was quite clear she didn't want some points revealed, but he didn't fault her for it. Their past, especially under their 'father's' care, was very unpleasant, painful.

"Right. The gundams were launched much earlier than anticipated. Our training wasn't even near complete yet. Romefeller had Oz continue the training, even gave them more authority since they came to know more about the gundams than anyone on Earth. Zechs and his protégé, Lucrezia Noin, became very trustworthy associates, keeping us informed on everything. When names came across, we came to a decision. With Zechs' help, we were… conveniently misplaced. Noin kept us up to date as information came to her. Romefeller never found us."

She took a final puff of her cigarette before dunking the butt into her coffee cup. "After the installation of the Preventers, we stood nearby, to see how effective it would be, then we had Noin and Zechs introduce us to the Lady. We were still in hiding, so we joined under aliases, code names."

"Tempest, Lightning, and Thunder," he stated.

She nodded. "We are one entity, the Storm, three parts of a whole, exactly as we were intended to be. After some brush up training, it was apparent to Une that we were best suited as pilots, a sort of back-up for you and the other gundam pilots. Howard and I designed the suits, based upon our skills and the designs of all mobile suits, including the gundams, and even Epyon and Talgeese. Maelstrom, Thundershock, and Illumination were completed after only a year."

Heero sat back, folding his arms. "And the telepathy?"

She stood, picking up her coffee cup and carried it over to the sink, fishing out the cigarette butt and tossing it into the garbage as she passed on her way to the sink. "That's a story for another time. But the gist of it is that it also has to do with our 'father' and his business. There's much more damage that can be done by the mind, than any physical weapon in existence." She poured the cold, ash-filled coffee down the drain and set the cup the sink, drawing some water into it so it wouldn't stain.

He nodded, also standing, following with his empty cup. He wanted to press the issue, wanted to know everything, but he could see she didn't want to say anymore. "So… Lightning and Thunder?"

"I met them both as Kalinda Guro and Isabel Day. After we went into hiding, they revealed their true names. Kalinda Guro, Lightning, is Kalli Nicole Winner."

"Quatre's sister?"

She nodded, turning to him, leaning against the cabinet. "One hardly anyone knows about, including many of his other sisters. They're twins."

"And Thunder…?" he asked.

"…Is being stubborn," she added. "She's so scared to speak up that I'm about to speak up for her."

Trinity…, she heard in the back of her mind. Please, don't.

She closed her eyes a moment. Iz, we're running out of time. If you don't do this now, it'll be revealed at the briefing you and the boys will be having within the next few days. It's time.

She reopened her eyes and looked at Heero. "Isabel Day is Izreina. Her twin brother is Isaac. You know him as Duo Maxwell."

Lucrezia Noin carried a stack of notes as she walked down the hallway to her office. She never went on missions anymore. Instead she was more of an assistant to Une. She helped train new Preventers, and briefed others on missions when Une couldn't be present. But for the most part, she played the role of a mother. She and Zechs had been married, and recently divorced, and had one daughter, just turning five years old.

Ever since the girls, especially Trinity, came back into their lives, things hadn't been the same between them. She couldn't say she was surprised when their marriage came to an end. She had always known, no matter how hard she tried to tell herself differently, that he loved Trinity. Noin often wondered why, even though she counted Trinity a friend, she never thought she was really capable of an emotion as powerful as love.

Or was she? Wasn't it compassion for Izreina and Kalli that allowed her to break the ice surrounding her heart? The two of them had been so broken to the point they could have easily been trained in the fashion Trinity had been ordered to. But something apparently was still living in Trinity's heart. Zechs must have seen it from the beginning.

She sighed as she dropped the stack of papers down on top of her secretary's desk. "Please, have these typed up and sent to the Lady's office in the morning?" she stood at the door, hand on the door knob, looking to the teenage girl, Celeste, sitting behind the desk. Celeste was one of the two hundred cadets the Preventers had graduating this year. Noin was glad that the younger generation was still interested in keeping the peace. This was the largest graduating class in the Preventer's eight year history.

"Yes, Miss Noin," she nodded as she picked up the stack of papers and immediately began sorting them. "Oh, and General Peacecraft is in your office. He seemed kind of… distracted, very out of it… He didn't even say a word to me, just walked right on in." She looked up to Noin. "And before you ask… I believe he's been drinking, but not heavily. I caught a brief whiff as he passed. Do I need to buzz security?"

Noin looked at her office door a moment. She didn't hear things being thrown or broken so he wasn't flat out drunk. She looked back to her secretary and shook her head. "No, Celeste. I think it'll be okay."

She nodded and turned back to her work. "Yes, Miss Noin."

Noin took a hesitant breath before opening the door to her office. She walked in and closed the door behind her. She stood at the door a moment and watched her ex-husband as he stared out the window onto the yard below where some new recruits were doing some exercises.

"Did you know?" he asked, not looking at her. "Did you know that Trinity is Heero Yuy's sister?" He turned away from the window and walked over to her desk, sliding into her office chair. He folded his arms and stared up at her.

She returned his stare for a moment and walked towards him, holding her breath. She had hoped this conversation wouldn't be about Trinity, but if he was drinking, it could ONLY be about her. "I admit… I had suspicions. They look so much alike, it's really hard to dismiss." She sat on the edge of her desk, next to him, crossing one leg over the other. "With Kal and Iz being Quatre and Duo's twins, it wouldn't have been a far-fetched guess for Trin to be related to another pilot." She watched him in silence for several moments, noting he didn't respond. Even though she had never been sure of his feelings for her, at least he trusted her. She was a confidant, if nothing else.

"Where'd you get the booze?" she asked, sliding off the desk, a change in subject was in order. Besides, it was an issue that had to be addressed at some point. Zechs had been known as an alcoholic at one point in their past, but had been sober for many years. That is, until she came back into their lives. Not only did he fall into old habits, but everyone at Preventer HQ knew about it. Countless times, he had to be escorted back to his living quarters by security because of one altercation or another. Noin had wondered how long it would go before his job was at stake, if his health didn't fail first. But, knowing now that Trinity was Heero Yuy's sister, unless he took control of the problem, his job wouldn't be his for much longer, not to mention what will happen to his health.

He waved off the inquiry, turning back to stare out the window. "I told you before, Noin… I've got this under control. I just had one drink to calm my mind." He looked up to her. "Une and I have already discussed this, if you're worried about my job."

"Zechs, I'm more worried about your health…"

"Well, don't be," he snapped at her. He took a deep breath and held it a moment before releasing slowly. "I'm fine… Noin… Really..." He stood and took a step towards her, placing his hands on her small shoulders. "I know you worry about me. And I know you're still angry with me about the divorce…"

Noin held a hand up to silence him. "Zechs… I'm not angry about the divorce, anymore. I understand why you wanted it. What I don't understand is why you won't tell her, knowing what your anxiety is doing to you. I told you long ago, and find myself constantly repeating, that I would always be by your side … but I'm not going to stand by and watch you destroy yourself and your career, and neither would Trinity. When you feel the need for a drink… come talk to me… Or, better yet, go spend some time with Alyssa. She hardly knows you, Zechs. You're her father."

"I'm well aware of that, Noin." He looked away a moment, sighing heavily. He stared back down to her, a thin smile on his lips. "I promise I'll take care of myself. I can't promise too much when it comes to Alyssa, you know me and children, Noin… But I'll do my best."