In an Era of Peace: An Uncertain Future
Chapter X: Mirallia's Panic
Miriallia walked down the halls of the mansion in a daze. She was hurt and confused. Worried for Dearka's and the others plus angry at Davis. She couldn't believe he would speak to her like that, then again did she really know him that well?
She seemed to almost stumble towards the door as she clumsily opened it. Cagalli followed her inside as Kisaka waited outside. "Miriallia we have to talk about what just happen down stairs" She said calmly.
Mir didn't listen. Instead she started ripping at her dress. Pawing at it trying to remove it in a panic. "I need it off… why won't it come off!" She yelled.
"Mir calm down, you're going to hurt yourself." She said hurrying over to her.
"Please… there is so much blood." She cried looking down at her stained dress. Cagalli nodded and unzipped the dress. It fell to Mir's feet leaving her only in her silk black panties. Her body still covered in the blood of the man she loved. She looked down seeing it she began to cry and fell to the ground. Cagalli leaned down and held her in her arms.
"Everything is going to be ok Miriallia. They are going to be ok."
"What if he was right. What if I'm just some pathetic girl, what if the strength Dearka claimed I had was all just more of his lies."
"It's not, trust me" she replied reassuringly. Cagalli stood up and walked to the bathroom. She started to gather some wet cloths to clean Mir up until she saw her own reflection in the long full length mirror. She was surprised she hadn't realized it before, but she too was covered in blood. The blood of the man she cared most about. She started to think about what could have happened. After all the battles in the war, after all the assassination attempts, this was the first time she was covered in his blood. She could have lost him.
Shaking the thought from her head she removed her dress. She then cleaned the blood off her own body and wrapped herself up in a towel. Picking up a few more clean wet cloths and a new towel she headed back to her friend. She knelt down and started to clean her up.
"What if they had died?" Mir asked suddenly.
"They didn't and we can't think like that." She said calmly. Mir smiled at her and took the cloth from her hand. Standing up she finished cleaning herself off. Taking the towel she wrapped it around herself and headed towards her closet.
"I have some clothes in here for you as well" Mir said. "Unless you'd rather stay in just a towel?"
Cagalli just blushed then nodded. She walked over and looked though Mir's closet. Picking the least girly thing in Mir's wardrobe she started to get dressed. Once dressed Mir headed towards her laptop and turned it on.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"I need to clear my head. Whenever I've been upset or frustrated I've found working on my photographes always helps."
"But I thought you hadn't worked in weeks. Aren't you taking a break from that whole thing?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah… I am." She replied tucking her hair behind her ear. "But that doesn't mean I can't do things like update my portfolio. I took a break to explore things with Davis and the possibility of life outside of the military and the idea of war. But I don't think things are going to work out in either of those fronts. So I might want to get back out there and work soon." She explained as she picked up her purse. She sifted through the many things in there. It was frustrating how fast things seemed to get lost in such a small space. Finally she was successful and pulled out her flashdrive.
"You're really thinking about travelling again? What about Dearka?"
"What about him?" She asked sitting down and plugging in her drive.
"He just proposed to you. He asked you to marry him in front of everyone! Are you really telling me you're just going to ignore that?"
Mir turned to look at her. "Yes... he asked me and then someone shot him. If he didn't ask he wouldn't have made himself a target." She said sadly. Noticing Cagalli had a weird look on her face she asked "What's wrong."
"Nothing… it's just you don't seem to have any files on that drive"
"What!" Mir said surprised as she whipped her head back to look at her screen. "No! No! No! This isn't possible where did they go! There were hundreds of pictures here."
"When was the last time you looked at them."
"I don't know a few weeks ago." She said still concentrating on her computer screen.
"Maybe it was damaged in the accident?"
"No look" She said pointing at the screen.
"Where?"
"There" She instructed pointing at the remaining space on the drive. "The files are still here, they are just hidden. Encrypted or something to block access"
"Encrypted? Why would they be encrypted?"
"I don't know." She began typing and clicking around as she began attempting to access the files. Finally after a few minuted a prompt popped up asking for a password.
"Great now what?" Cagalli asked, now very interested in finding out what was on that drive.
"Now we start punching in some guesses."
"Don't you need to know who encrypted it before you can figure out what the password might be."
"We already know who encrypted it." Mir said as she started typing in password possibilities.
"Really, who?"
"Me" She admitted.
"You? But why?"
"I don't know why, but I know this encryption. It is the same as what professor Kato taught me when I was in the academy in Heliopolis. He taught us to always put some kind of signature in it, our own little flare. I saw mine in this. I must have encrypted the night of the accident. That must be why I don't remember doing it" She typed in one more password guess and access was finally granted. She scrolled through the pictures. "Good… they are all there."
"Wait what is that?" Cagalli asked pointing to an image of a broken file.
"Another encrypted file" She said confused. She started to type once more, decrypting the file. This time no password was required. Instead a folder title 'untitled folder' popped up. Nervously Mir clicked on the folder. Inside were three other folders titled 'Athrun', 'Dearka' and 'Yzak'.
"What the?" Cagalli said leaning in. Hesitantly Mir clicked on one of the folders. A quick glance told them exactly what they were. They were surveillance photos of them. Someone had been spying on the three soldiers. "Mir… where did you get these"
Mir's hands began to shake. Her mind swirled with horrific images. It was like a wavy of realizations came over her. She remembered everything from that night. Discovering the photos, confronting Davis. Learning his true name and his intentions. And the fight. How he tried to kill her. How he said he was going to kill the last three former Le Creuset members. Then she remembered the most important fact of all. She had just left Davis in a room with the three of them, while they were greatly injured.
"Mir?" Cagalli said trying to get her attention. She could tell her friend was breathing heavily.
"We need to go. We need to get back to the safe room. I know who shot them!" She started to stand up when the heard clapping from a single person. They turned around to see Davis was standing in the room behind them.
"Bravo Miriallia. You finally remembered." He said in a smug tone.
"Davis" Cagalli spat.
"No…" Miriallia said. "His real name is Remi Kato"
"Kato? You mea-"
"So you've heard of my father as well." He interrupted. "Not that it is a surprise. Your father was responsible for what happened to mine in so many ways. All because he allowed the G-weapon project to occur. But of course he paid the price for that."
"Where is Athrun and the others!"
"Don't worry m'lady. They are all resting safely in the room where you left them. No harm will come to them, I promise."
"Like we can trust you." She spat. "You tried to kill Miriallia the night of the accident didn't you!"
"Yes I did. It was an unfortunate turn of events really. But the two of you will have plenty of time to discuss that with your cellmate." He said slyly.
"Cellmate?" Mir questioned. "What are you talking about?"
"I learned something today watching Dearka profess his love to you in front of all mankind's leaders. You are more important to him than his own life. Looking at Athrun and Yzak I saw the same thing when they looked at their dates. So I decided on a new plan, a PLAN C. Killing them now would be too easy. I want them to suffer, suffer like I did knowing my father was being tortured.
"
Cagalli stood in front of Miriallia holding her arm out as if to protect her. "You're not going to get away with this. I'm the leader of Orb, do you really think you can just attack me in my home, in my country, and get away with it"
"I already have." head said pulling out a gun and firing it twice. This time however, it did not contain bullets instead it was small darts. They pierced the skin of the two girls. As their vision started to get blurry they found themselves starting to feel tired.
"What… did you do to us?" Cagalli managed to say before passing out.
Remi walked towards the two girls, taking hold of each of their hands one at a time he made a small cut. Drops of blood hit the floor and he smiled. He wanted it to be known that they were taken. He wanted the men he hated to be panicked.
He walked out of the room and passed the knocked out Kisaka. Gabbing a rolling bed that resembled something from a hospital, he brought it into the room next to the girls. Gently he lifted each one up, laying them next to each other. Once secured he pushed them out of the room and down the hallway.
The mansion seemed quiet and deserted. In truth it was as busy and full as normal, more so with many of the guests still inside. But Remi had taken care of all the by rigging the vents of the first floor with a sleeping gas. As for the few on the second floor he took care of them the same way as he did Mir and Cagalli. An alteration to his original escape plan. Although taking Mir had always been a part of it. He couldn't risk her remembering the night she learned his name.
As he left the mansion and placed his new prisoners in his van he couldn't help but smile to himself as he thought of how distort the young males would be when they came to. A reaction he was sure not to miss.
