Chapter 10

I do not own Gundam Wing

I would like to extend an apology for any grammatical mistakes you may encounter within this story. I do proofread, but I save precision proofreading for the writing that receives a grade from my professors, and not my fanfics.

~ A. Ruth Howe

Chapter 9

"I have become death"

~ Kateline Delizabane

She stood in memory, halfway between existence and nullity. It was the universe of reverie that draws one in and negates the present world around them. Here is a place of twilight and dawn where a mind can regale or retreat into a pleasant spell of reflective oblivion, a dark landscape of past time. She knew the danger in coming here for it was easy to be trapped. She knew that the images that flashed across her mind would bring her little peace as well. They were black and forbidding spectacles usually laced with fire or the smell of decay. But there was little choice for her, this was the only place she knew well enough to call home now, and this was the only time she could exist to find it.

This was her time to be.

She stood on the high rise platform that over looked the concluded battlefield. The air carried the stinging scent of decay that had been advanced by time and sun. Somehow one learned to get used to the scent of death on the wind. Some even welcomed it, for it meant another battle was over, another one survived.

They always whispered about how imperious she looked as the commander gazing out over the field. Her face would be grim but determined as she scrutinized the expanse of a battlefield choked with dead soldiers. This was as she had made it. The Alliance wanted a war. She was giving them one.

This was a true war now.

It would not be like the other wars the Alliance had partaken it. The Rhineland war would be a reminder of what battle and fighting had once meant and what it had once been. It was hard for the soldier to feel the truth of killing from inside a mobile suit. Little is learned or understood from killing your enemy while slashing at metal. Sometimes the soldier doesn't make the connection that by destroying the mobilesuit you have vanquished the enemy within. It was necessary that the soldier have a visual connection to his destruction. As the commander of the Rhineland/Isle forces, Analicia Delizabane had decided to change that verdict of death within the confines of a mobile suit.

So when they had engaged in their first battle since she had been given command, the alteration to the pattern of war was made.

"You must not just destroy your enemy. It means nothing if the act is not embraced. You must SEE them die before you to understand fully." She had said to them. They believed in her fervently.

Let them see death in front of them. Let them see what she saw when Jetsie was killed in front of her eyes. They will be reborn as children of the War Madness.

And so, when the battle had reached its pinnacle, they surrounded the enemy and forced the Alliance soldiers to disembark from their suits. Then the battle was fought as it was in the days of old. Men on the field, fighting each other within the confines of their flesh and not some large metal humanoid figure. Swords clashed and guns fired, there was bursts of fire and the screaming of men being hacked to death by the Isle forces who had been seized by the spirit of a blood thirsty war god. When the final surrender came from the Alliance's northern army, Analicia Delizabane, the newly appointed First Lady of War gave the order that would define her in the eyes of her enemies as well as her underlings.

"General Delizabane, What are your orders?"

The time had come, she had to take this step. The Alliance had to understand who they were trying to play with. The children of the Grand Design were not to be trifled with and certainly not to be conquered. It was her obligation to make the Alliance understand.

She remembered closing her eyes on the field before giving the dark order.

"Let the Huntress loose upon them."

"Yes Ma'am"

She was giving the Alliance soldiers, who had surrendered, to Kateline. Leecy knew that Kateline would tear them to pieces. That's what she liked to do.

And the order was taken to the Isle's instrument of death. As commander, Analicia Delizabane was allowing her third in command, Kateline Delizabane, to slaughter the remaining Alliance soldiers. The field would soon be stained with the blood of the Alliance and the Huntress would have the pound of flesh she craved.

It is done.

"General, there is a communication from Expedition Storm"

Expedition Storm, her second in command, her sister Aria, only 14 years old. At the moment she was over one hundred kilometers south of her sister, commanding one third of the forces concentrated there. Aria had been almost as successful as Analicia in her leadership. However, her loyalty to her sister had prevented her from ascending to the rank of First Lady of War.

Leecy,

We are about to reach dire straits. The last battle was successful with minimal casualties. However, we have intercepted news that the Alliance is sanctioning the use of the Specials Force and a new commander is going to take over the Eastern Front. If the north is now secure, as we have heard, please move the Northern forces to the south. We will need all reserves against the Specials.

~ Aria

Leecy took a breath and crumpled the message in the palm of her gloved hand. She then turned and let the rotting wind toss a few loose curls of her dark hair.

"When the Huntress has completed her mission, we move the forces south."

Her order was given with such force behind it that it made the young lieutenant swallow in anxiety. Analicia didn't even pause for reflection as she started her journey to the south to engage the Specials' commander, her new opponent.

It would be her final battle……………..

The dream ended there. With a stifled cry, Analicia was flung out of the memory-trimmed dream and into the cold embrace of the present. Beads of sweat were sticking to her trembling flesh as she tried to orient herself after the dream. The memories were so real, and yet as she became more awake, they faded away.

She looked around her, trying to recognize her surroundings. This was her room! She was in her bedroom and in her bed. She was back again.

The memories faded and were forgotten as if they had never been.

*******************

"I'm not sure I will be able to make it tonight Duo, things have been crazy around here….. Well then go out with Quatre or something. I'm sorry Duo things are just to crazy around here now." Hildre held the phone away from her ear as Duo started on a long oration concerning her work load. It seemed almost typical of him. He was only interested in when she would be there for him. When was he going to understand that she had parts of her life that were separate from him?

"Duo, I really have to go. I will see you tonight when I get home." Before he could offer further objection, she hung the phone up and silenced his critical voice. It had been a stressful afternoon for her. Now a personal aid to the Chief Commander Preventer, Hildre's duties were doubled after what had transpired at the conference. The press was everywhere, camped outside the headquarters and some even dared to follow Hildre home from work. She was always asked questions whose answers she had no idea about.

Will Preventer Une except the nomination?

Is there a connection between the Singapore incident and the Nomination?

Are the Preventers attempting to stabilize the current situation or manipulate it?

Hildre was an aid, not a Preventer. She didn't know about any of those things, still she was forced to deal with them. Lady Une had not been in for two days now. Her ankle had been injured when she was attacked and Zechs was now insisting that she not go into work. This made things double hectic for in her absence, Zechs had suddenly made himself the commander. Hildre now had to take commands from Preventer Wind as well as receive status phone calls from Commander Une.

"Is that her? Give me the phone." He had said upon catching them on the phone and curtly grabbed it out of Hildre's hands. Zechs appeared to her more stressed than anyone, but she soon realized that tension was his way of life. There was never a moment when he wasn't strained. It was most apparent when he spoke briefly to Lady Une over the phone, the conversation always melting down into an argument.

"I thought I told you to leave things to me. You can stay home a day or two, it won't kill you……….. I will stop treating you like a child when you stop acting like one!….. So I'm an annoyance now?………… You're the one who insists on controlling everything dear lady. not me! The only thing you are preventing today is me from doing my job …… Listen, I'm coming home in four hours and if I find you up and walking around--………. Well I'm sorry but until that ankle is healed you can consider me your god damn liege Lord!…… DON'T YOU EVEN TRY TO TEST MY PATIENCE ON THIS!………… I AM NOT YELLING! Hello?….. HELLO?"

The argument concluded with the slamming of the phone back on the receiver and an irritated sigh from Zechs. He would then offer Hildre an exasperated look, give her some brusque orders, and quit the room in a rankled fashion. His rigid character made her feel even tenser than she already was. On top of it he was the most anti-social introvert she had ever met. She was happy when he finally let the room.

God, what's up his grill? She couldn't wait for Lady Une to return so Zechs' little tirades and power trip could be put to an end.

Hildre stopped a moment from her work on endless mounds of paperwork and turned to the window. The rain had just started a few minutes ago and now it was pouring down hard. It made her smile to see all the reporters scurrying away to get out of the rain in an insect like manner. It was hot and humid. The entire office had a sticky and uncomfortable feel. Perhaps the rain would cool things down a bit. There was a knock on her door.

"Hildre!" The pleasant and always charismatic Gabriel Khushrenada opened the door with a flashy smile. Hildre sighed inside herself. The man could charm the pants off of any woman alive. He was incredibly gorgeous, even in his current sweaty and disheveled appearance; it made him even sexier with his dark hair out of place and a few strands hanging down by his eyes. Three months working here and Hildre did not know one woman in the office who didn't absolutely want him.

"What can I do for you Preventer Fire?" He is fire for sure, and he can burn me any day of the week. The man is walking sex.

"Please Hildre, you can call me Gabe as most of the ladies are welcome to." He smiled wryly, but it still came off as sexy. He was such a flirt. She nodded and smiled back, waiting for him to continue.

"Listen…" he came over to her desk and leaned closer. Hildre could smell his cologne and nearly gasped over the desirability of this one man.

"I was wondering if you knew what time Zechs was planning on leaving tonight." It was an odd question, but the first one she had been asked in a few days that she actually knew the answer to.

"I overheard him saying he would be leaving in about four hours."

"Four hours… perfect! Hildre, you are a doll. If anyone asks, tell them I went out on a field assignment." He grinned from ear to ear and headed for the door.

"And say hi to Duo for me." Then he was gone, leaving a confused Hildre behind.

***************

Quatre Winner's smile was unearthly as he hugged his old comrade for the hundredth time since he had been surprised by his presence. Trowa Barton, or Triton as some were referring to him now, had not seen any of the former Gundam Pilots in nearly four years. True that except for Heero, whose whereabouts were unknown to the other four pilots, and Wufei who was a usually terrestrial bound with the Preventers, they all operated out of the Colonies. Still, their lives had afforded them no opportunity to see each other.

Trowa had grown to be the tallest man out of the five. His green eyes held the majority of the expression that was devoid in the rest of his face. He was always regarded as the most stoic and mysterious of the five pilots, his enigmatic air rivaling that of Heero Yuy. Like something out of a legend, Trowa always fascinated those around him. It had been that way for many of those in his life, none perhaps so much as Quatre Winner.

Quatre stood back and took in the full view of twenty year old Trowa Barton. He had filled out tremendously and was no longer the lanky youth of sixteen that the Arabian heir recalled. Beneath his snug shirt, muscles could been seen indicating a well-sculpted body. This was different from the smaller Quatre who still retained much of his boyish appearance. Though taller and more seasoned to manhood than he was five years ago, one would still mistake Quatre for the fifteen-year old Gundam pilot of his former days.

"I still can't get used to the fact that you are here Trowa." Quatre said, not abandoning his gleeful grin. Trowa wished that more pleasant circumstances had brought him to the earth; but the truth was that it was possibility of conflict that had motivated him to don his long unused patriotic persona and make the journey. He had sensed the mood of the conference and guessed where the source of hostility would emanate from only an hour or so into the proceedings. It was Trowa's gift to be able to make such distinctions in people with relative speed. The Isle representatives had the hard cold look of revolutionaries and were definitely striving to show their separatist spirit by wearing those black uniforms. He noted time and again from his place in the stands the center of the group, their leader, was the red-haired young woman named Aria Delizabane. Trowa also during his observations detected the frequent glances at the Preventer's table in front of them. Aria and the young man sitting beside her kept watchful stares on the two main occupants of the Preventer table. The determination of whether it was Zechs or Lady Une that had caught their interest had not yet been made. When the riot had commenced, Trowa ventured to the fray as quickly as possible.

He had known though. That woman was going to be trouble.

"We are going to have some problems Quatre." Trowa was as blunt as ever and Quatre's smile faded. He had known Trowa long enough to understand when the situation was dire. Trowa always carried the crisis in his expressive eyes.

"What's the trouble and how can I help?"

"First off, I want to get Duo over here. I don't think we will need Wufei seeing as how he has his hands full with official government business. There is something going on beneath all this business of the depression and voting of the new president. It would be best to investigate."

Quatre nodded, he trusted Trowa's instincts as he trusted nothing else.

"What is it you want to look into?"

Trowa gave him his most serious expression. "The Delizabane Family. I have already done some research and I don't like what I have found."

"What did you find?"

"Many things. They have a history unlike any family in the earth sphere. Once members of the Romafellar foundation, they pulled out because apparently they were too gun-ho about war for even the organization that had founded OZ and took over the world with military force." He took a moment to push his hair away from his eyes.

"This Aria Delizabane is the one I want to investigate chiefly. She seems to be the leader. They are currently staying at the Hotel Maliun on the West End."

"Duo can handle any kind of covert operation if you want to infiltrate the hotel room."

"Give him a call."

"What are you going to do Trowa."

Trowa's eyes shined with a waggish light and he leaned back in the chair he was sitting in.

"I'm going to find the one man who has probably been on this situation longer than us."

Quatre grinned knowing exactly who he meant. They were going to find Heero Yuy.

*******************

The Isle was warm in the closing days of August. The landscapes were green, and in some places brown were the sun had burned the grass during the summer. The blades made a dead crumbling sound as Heero Yuy stepped over them, protesting his weight with their dead sound. The air was moist; it was likely to rain, a little too late for the dried up lawn beneath his feet. The cottage he was walking towards appeared to match the destitute lawn, it was crumbling in places and it was apparent that no one had lived there in a long time. Someone was in there though; he could hear the woman's coughing against the sounds of the crashing sea that was not far off.

As silent as ever, Heero proceeded towards the small house where he would seek some answers. Instincts and his strange intuition had led him to these shores days ago. Heero had been secretly watching events unfold around him for months now. He had never been far away. He was there at the conference, not far from Relena, when the riot had taken place. The connection between the Singapore attack and the Isle was made evident to him long before anyone else. Heero knew these people were behind it. He just couldn't figure out how or why. Until he knew, he would be unable to stop the flow of events.

His search had led him here, to Dover England, to this shack near the white cliffs where the waves crashed with every rising tide. Inside the house was a woman who was the key. She was old, not too old, but not young either. Heero had discovered her existence merely by chance, when he attempted to hack into the CMPC Industrial main frame. He had discovered there that the new CEO of the mega-conglomerate had made some serious changes. The major industries had been moved and their accounts rearranged. Most of the funds from these companies were now filtering into banks and investments in the Northern Columbian territories. It was little wonder that the CMPC could no longer support the ESUN government since it had lost the bulk of its industrial makeup. A large number of the businesses that made up the CMPC had withdrawn and been placed in a new industrial combine called GDI. What the letters stood for, he couldn't find out. Heero was able to discovery the identity of the new CMPC CEO and the sole stockholder of this GDI conglomerate.

Aria Delizabane.

The woman in the cottage before him, was Evelyn Collins. She was going to be a key to help him unravel this conspiracy. Heero had learned of her during his investigation of the Delizabane family and their associates. Evelyn Collins had been the chief housekeeper for the Delizabane family for over twenty-five years, but less than a month ago she had suddenly left their employ and moved into this hovel. It made little sense to Heero who had found every single servant of the Delizabane family to be ultra loyal. There was something behind this, she would know something, and she had to.

Softly, he rapped on the aging door and heard the raspy voice on the other side confirm admittance. The door opened with some difficulty, the wood warped from the humidity of the day. As soon as he crossed the threshold, the strong scent of mildew assailed Heero. The cottage was small, a few rooms here and there, none of which were used. There was mold growing on the ceiling from where the rain had been allowed to seep in through the roof. Pictures lined the walls, but they were so decayed that he was unable to make out anything from them. At one side of what looked like it had once been a living room, the house's single occupant lay on a partially broken bed that she must have pulled out from one of the rooms. It was positioned near the heater, tilted to one side and she lay on it within a cocoon of soiled blankets. All around here lay used Kleenexes; some stained with blood that she had coughed up. Heero took notice of her condition. Her face was swollen and the dark circles that lay beneath her dull gray eyes accented the sickly yellow pallor of her skin. He understood within seconds, and he knew he had to hurry.

She was dying.

"Ah.. Such a young man to see me today." Mrs. Collins shifted herself in an attempt to sit up. Her body's exaggerated weight causing the bed to creak loudly as she shifted herself forward. Heero stood there and watched her struggle to move.

"Have you come to watch an old woman die?" She said once she had found the most comfortable position she was capable of. Her breath was coming in small gasps from the exertion of moving. He began to move forward as she looked him over critically. Heero took hold of an ancient chair that was a few feet away. Placing it delicately by her bedside, he sat down casually.

"No, I think you have come here to find out what an old woman knows…" Her eyebrow raised and Heero leaned forward and nodded silently.

"They are behind it, aren't they?" He asked in his low monotonous voice. Evelyn Collins coughed a bit and reached for a glass of water at her beside. She took a brief drink and then looked back at him, debating on what to say.

"Of course they are behind it. This is their game; it has all been in the works for centuries. People out there don't understand what goes on in this land. This will not be the Second Coming of the Romafellar foundation or the Barton family, their goals are so much different."

"What are their goals?" She looked at him in a decided fashion, as if she had figured him out.

"It is impossible for you to understand. They are not like the enemies any of you have faced in the past. But I tell you; they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. That is the way of things in this land. We do not follow the current way of thinking. We believe it weak."

Heero was slightly annoyed. He had not come here to learn about the national ideology of the Isle.

"Why are they doing this?"

"It is all as the Eldest Child has made it"

"Eldest Child?"

Mrs. Collins coughed up a bit and spit into a Kleenex.

"The Eldest Child, is the one who leads the Delizabane family. This family is absolutely revered in the Isle. Everyone trusts them completely and for over ninety years they have been the ruling forces of this nation. He who is the Eldest Child, controls the entire family, and thus, the Isle."

"The Eldest Child is Aria….. Correct?" Mrs. Collins settled back and looked at him with amusement.

"Officially yes…. But in reality.. No" Heero was perplexed by the answer. Evelyn smiled at him.

"You want to stop them young man? Yes you do. It will be difficult. They are well protected. If you fight, you must fight on their terms. Secrecy has been their strength."

"Why are you helping me?" he asked not understanding her motivation. She looked to the floor and tears began to form in her dying eyes.

"This house once belonged to a young woman. She was beautiful in all ways. It was a great loss to this world when she died. She had a daughter……." She wiped her eyes.

"The daughter of Milliardo Peacecraft, he left her with the Delizabane family…..I could not sit by for another day and watch them do to her what they have been doing…. I want to die with a clear conscience. That's why I am helping you." She went into a coughing fit.

Heero leaned back in the decaying wooden chair, Zechs new involvement was a strange twist of the plot, but it didn't really concern the present situation.

"How do I stop them?" he waited for her to recover before she spoke again. Her eyes looked infinitely tired as she gazed up at the strong young man. A reflection of the long departed youth of her own body, it made her full of regret to have seen and known the things she had in her lifetime.

Her eyes met his with a kind of profound determination.

"Find the Eldest Child. She is the key to all things in this game."

"I thought Aria was the Eldest Child?"

"No… find the TRUE Eldest Child." Her voice was strained and she was coughing again.

"Leecy is out there… Find her.. She is your key."

Heero rose from his chair and nodded to her. Then he turned his back and left the dying woman behind in the house, her conscience now clear. His mind concentrated on this new piece of the puzzle. He had the clue that could undo this new threat. She had said that there was someone out there. Leecy. She was going to be his weapon.

He was going to find her.

**********************

Lists of terms and places:

Eldest Child: the oldest living child in the Delizabane main lineage. Whoever holds this title has complete leadership over the family.

Grand Design: The name used when referring to the lost American Nation. Sometimes called "The Nation".

The Isle: Formerly known as the United Kingdom. The Isle is the British Isle territory.

The Rhineland: A vast expanse of Western Europe mostly pertaining to the lands through which the Rhine River flows. During the war, the Rhineland's territories were expanded greatly by the Isle forces.

Stagflation: The term used to denote inflation that is instituted when the economy ceases to grow.

Hegemony: A state in which a Nation is recognized as the most powerful in Economic and military force.

Libertarian-Socialist Party: The current executive administration's party headed by Fadden Heeley. They are the exact opposite of the Proletarian-Socialists and their greatest political rivals.

Character Guide

The Delizabane Family and Associates

Merrick Delizabane: The former Patriarch of the Delizabane Family and father of the four children of the Delizabane main lineage: Analicia, Aria, Mathius, Shireen. A very severe and sometimes cruel man, he forced his children to become soldiers when they were very young. At the start of the Rhineland war, his two oldest children Analicia and Aria were sent to command positions with their cousin Kateline. Merrick was assassinated after the Isle's Rhineland defeat.

Victoria Delizabane : Mother of Analicia and Aria, died of illness two years after the birth of Aria.

Aria Delizabane: (Expedition Storm) The current Eldest Child and ruler of the Delizabane Family. Daughter of Merrick Delizabane. She was taken Prisoner during the Rhineland war when trying to keep the Alliance out of Western Europe and the British Isle. Now she is the most powerful person in the Isle.

Analicia Delizabane (Leecy)( The First Lady of War): The original Eldest Child of the Delizabane family, Leecy was the older sister and second mother to her younger sister Aria. Known to be both extremely intelligent and defiant, Leecy led the Rhineland Army to most of its victories during the war. But lost critical battles when the Alliance Specials became involved. Analicia was captured and executed by the Alliance at the end of the war.

Kateline Delizabane: (The Huntress) The oldest living Delizabane and cousin of the Aria Delizabane. Kateline is inherently mad and given to murderous rages. Since she is not part of the main Delizabane lineage, she can never be the Eldest Child, but is still bound to serve.

Mathius Delizabane: Only son of Merrick Delizabane and the twin brother of Shireen. He is the youngest of the Delizabane main lineage. After his father was assassinated he was taken and raised by his cousin Kateline and thus bears similar resentments. He carries a disdain for the current Eldest Child Aria, and an absolute hatred for the memory of Analicia, whom he never knew.

Shireen Delizabane: The twin sister of Mathius. A very weak young woman with little courage to stand up to her oppressive and abusive family.

Bram Wickfield: The chief advisor to the Delizabane family and former tutor of Analicia and Aria. A stoic and proud man of vast intellect, he was paralyzed from the waste down following a fire arms accident.

Itzhak Liebman: Loyal chief steward to Mathius Delizabane.

Mrs. Collins: Chief house keeper for the Delizabane Manor.

Elizabeth Langstaff: Former secretary to Aria Delizabane, Elizabeth saved Milliardo Peacecraft after his defeat to Heero Yuy at the end of the first Eve War. She died from complications after giving birth to Milliardo's daughter.

Elizabeth Foster Peacecraft: Daughter of Milliardo Peacecraft and Elizabeth Langstaff. Currently being raised in the Isle by the Delizabane family

Mikail Khydarian: a young Serbian assassin under the employ of the Delizabane family.

Other OC 's

Gabriel Khushrenada: Younger brother of Treize Khushrenada and uncle of Mariemaia Khushrenada Barton.

Fadden Heeley: Current President of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation, leader of the Majority party (Libertarian-Socialists)

Helen St. Downey: Chief economic advisor to ESUN President Heeley.

Celine Osprey: An economist working for the Agency for Economic Development.

Sudara Okami: Linguistic prodigy and Quatre Winner's current girlfriend