Author's Note: I know it has been a while since my last update and while I have been slacking a bit, this chapter is also very long. I'd like to thank Wing's Landing and Revvy679 for proofreading this chapter and giving me invaluable advice. Trust me guys, this chapter is noticeably better than what it was before.
Crisis Management
Capitol Building, Elgin
Their little office was dark, illuminated only by the sterile blue glow of Cindy's laptop screen and the minor conduits of light that their phones provided. Empty coffee cups and wrappers of vending machine chocolate bars littered the tops of their desks. Their heels had long since been kicked off and tossed onto the couches as they paced around the tiled floor barefoot. Relena had her hair pulled back into a ponytail, not in her signature Peacecraft style, but messily as the long hours of work had slowly but surely broken down her appearance. Her sleeves were rolled up, her hands were shaky from all of the caffeine, and she had bags under her eyes from reading a phone screen for hours.
It was late, everyone else had gone home, and officially the Capitol Building was closed, although the building administrator had allowed Relena and her team to continue working. Heero himself had to get out of that stuffy office to walk around and stretch his legs, leaving the girls to their feverish efforts.
"What about Representative Francois Lantier's seat? He made a statement about retiring a few months ago," Cindy said, her eyes still transfixed upon her screen.
"Not a chance," Dorothy said dismissively without even averting her gaze from her phone.
"She's right," Relena chimed in. "We can't be looking at any members of the Assembly of Nations. Ainsley isn't going to give up a cushy appointment like the Finance ministership for a seat in the lower chamber. She's got bigger ambitions."
"I'm surprised to hear you speak so callously about the MPs," Cindy remarked.
"We have to think like Ainsley," Relena shot back defensively.
"That does make the list shorter…" Cindy said as she eliminated more than 70 names and faces from her laptop screen, leaving only about a dozen or so faces left.
Relena put her hand on Cindy's shoulder and leaned into to see who was left. She recognized all of the names and she was personally acquainted with a few of them. Her mind raced through all of the possibilities and permutations. Who Ainsley was likely to replace? What her odds were in those potential districts? It had been a while since Relena had to utilize these particular political skills and she was out of practice. Relena's position within the Foreign Ministry was an appointment. It was something she received in recognition for her significant role during the Eve Wars as well as partial reparation for her father's assassination. She had never run for office before. As such, she wasn't exactly a natural at the electoral aspect of politics.
Relena loved her work and was deeply passionate about it. It was part of the reason why she refused to quit while she attended university. It gave her life meaning and kept her focused. Whenever she thought back to the days before the war, before she found Heero on the beach, she shuddered at the vapid and listless girl she used to be and the world of frivolities that had formed her reality. She desperately didn't want to go back there. Work was a means to that end.
And she was good at it too. But the difference between her and Ainsley was that Relena had always thought of herself as a simple civil servant, even if she was quite far up the food chain. Relena wanted to help people. Ainsley on the other hand was in it for the power. Her ambitions came from a sense of family tradition, aristocratic invincibility, and personal drive. Traits that Relena too could have possessed, had the circumstances of the last few years been different. But just because these weren't second nature to her, doesn't mean she didn't possess them.
"Let's get rid of Gonzaga, Leung, Achebe, Singh, and Bisset," Relena commanded. "She's not going to challenge them. Ainsley has only ever lived in America, England, and northern France. That's where she'll run."
Cindy tapped on the keyboard and filtered out those Council members that weren't representing North American, English, or northern French districts.
"What about Councillor Richmond?" Cindy asked.
"Hmmm, too obvious," Relena said.
"There's not much left here," Cindy said. "Everyone else has a pretty safe seat. Their chances of winning re-election are all pretty high. I don't see how Ainsley is going to make inroads into the remaining districts."
"You're looking in the wrong direction, stop focusing on the populists," Relena countered. "Remember her proposal. She's playing to the bond holders, the monied interest of the aristocracy. My bet is England. I think it's either Cornwallis, Hood, or Pearson."
"But those are members of her own party!" Cindy said.
"Do you really think Ainsley is above backstabbing one of her own?" Relena asked.
Ixelles, Brussels
The city was ablaze with activity after the events of the day. An amber alert had been declared as police and Preventers combined, combed the city inch by inch in a frantic search for the culprits of the day's mayhem. Mariemaia could still hear the sirens from the living room in her house in the suburbs, far from the city center.
She had been sent home from school when the news broke. Classes had been cancelled. Naturally, Une wasn't available to pick her up so her bodyguard signed her out and took her directly home. She spent the rest of the day in front of the TV, watching the news coverage as information about the attack slowly became publicly available.
She saw a couple of shots of Duo in the middle of the crowd of uniformed police officers and reporters. In his Preventers jacket, he almost blended in, although his long braided hair was still a dead give away. Dumbass, she thought to herself.
Around 10:30 pm, Mariemaia finally heard the front door open. A few moments later, she could hear the approach of Une's tired lumbering footsteps as she made her way from the foyer into the living room. Une found her daughter plastered to the couch watching TV, showing no sign that the girl had moved from that position in hours.
"Homework?" Une asked, trying to affect a normal tone.
"Done." Mariemaia gave her mother the courtesy of treating the day as though it were any other. The woman probably needed it.
Une was too tired to grill Mariemaia on the subject. If she was lying, Une would hear about it from the teacher tomorrow. That was a problem for another day. Sliding out of her Preventers jacket and walking into the kitchen, she found a bowl of cereal, a napkin, a spoon, and a carton of milk waiting for her at the breakfast bar.
"Say that again, I think I misheard you."
"You didn't, unfortunately," Trowa said. "Sixteen Serpents in total, all nearly operational."
Heero fell silent as his eyes narrowed and focused on the monitor in front of him. Trowa could feel and see Heero's concentration, even through their rough connection. He gave Heero the time he needed to think. They knew each other well enough and in the early days had established a comfortable rhythm that had never really changed. They were both of a quiet introspective disposition and were both ferocious, capable, but most of all, independent warriors. In those early years, Trowa watched Heero intently and observed everything he did. He was amazed at Heero's acuity. But Trowa also saw first hand how mistakes ate away at Heero.
Heero's accidental killing of Field Marshal Noventa sent him into a spiral for months that he just barely managed to get out of. Trowa had been there to witness his self-destruction first hand. Somehow, Heero got it into his head that he was indeed the Perfect Soldier of Doctor J's design, and falling short of that accolade, it seemed to Trowa, was a fate worse than death to Heero. Understandably, in these tumultuous times, as a fragile peace balanced on a knife's edge and finally with something, someone, in his life to lose, Heero was hesitant to act.
"We've only found a handful in the last few years," Heero said, his long gaze suggesting he was still deep in thought.
"This colony is a long way from Earth," Trowa said. "You can get away with a lot out here."
"What about the personnel?" Heero finally broke his silenced and returned his focus to Trowa.
"Mostly mechanics and guards as far as I could tell," Trowa said. "A few gangsters holding down the fort."
"No engineers? No pilots?" Heero asked.
"None that I could see," Trowa answered.
"They're either planning to convert them into mobile dolls or there are more," Heero said.
"Neither is good," Trowa said. "I think we should report this to Une directly."
"The only problem is that she's a little busy at the moment," Heero said.
"Yeah, I saw the news."
"She's going to have her hands full for the next couple of weeks at least," Heero said as he leaned back in his seat and stretched his neck.
"These things may not be combat ready but I doubt they'll sit in this place for very long," Trowa said. "I had to make a pretty drastic move to get this close. They'll know we're onto to them sooner rather than later."
"No back up, no resources… This is a difficult situation," Heero said.
"And the Preventers here are on the take as far as I can tell," Trowa added. "Best chance is to take them out during transport, when security is minimal. Although I'm going to need a lot of firepower for that."
"And an alibi. This isn't the war. If a transport gets destroyed in the middle of space, it's going to make the news," Heero said.
"I can't think of any better options, we can't let these things get delivered."
"Alright," Heero said, sounding resolved for the first time during this entire conversation. "Keep an eye out, stay hidden. I'm going to this run by Une. I'll contact you in a few days."
Heero sank into the leather armchair as he stared out the giant windows at the distant lights city at night. It was dark in the Capitol Building cafeteria. It was silent. It was peaceful. Perhaps it was Relena's natural influence on him or perhaps all the years of conflict that never allowed him a moment's peace had finally taken their toll on him, but he found himself drinking in the tranquility of the moment.
He thought about the information that Trowa had just delivered.
He thought about the prospect of further war. He considered the possibility of continued peace.
He thought about what he should do.
The indecision and uncertainty that roiled within was unfamiliar. Even when he didn't understand his orders or what purpose, if any, his life had, he was always sure what he had to do. There was the mission, right or wrong, dangerous or suicidal, that was the one constant that gave him meaning, kept him moving forward. Sometimes, he missed the certainty of those days.
He understood that his old confidence was just the inevitable effect of his fatalism. His surety that he was destined for glorious death in battle meant that nothing in his life mattered. Everything was fleeting. It was freeing. It allowed him to do the impossible.
But he had a life now. The only person that gave him any semblance of happiness during the war was now finally his. Perhaps it was a sign of healing. Perhaps his indecision meant that he finally had something to live for. It scared him.
He could hear her voice through the door. He didn't bother knocking knowing that she was in the middle of what sounded like a rather important call. Instead, Heero quietly opened the door and let himself in. Relena was pacing around the room, her phone squeezed between her shoulder and her face, while her hands held and flipped through her notepad.
"Piper… You know me. Why would I do that?" Relena said quickly as in racing her interlocutor to fill in any split second of silence that emerged. "This isn't some ploy. I promise you, I'm not running. I have no intention of leaving my current position… What would I have to gain from that? You know I don't have the stomach for electoral stuff. I like being a boring policy wonk. It suits me. Being a member of the Council doesn't."
Heero delivered a cup of coffee for Cindy before he made his way to the other side of the room, sitting down on the couch next to Dorothy. She sat there with her head leaning against her hand as she watched Relena with an expression that was a cross between disinterest and duty.
"How goes it?" Heero asked.
"Well, as you can see, the Council members are far more suspicious of Relena than their fellow party member. Which I suppose is understandable," Dorothy said, her gaze still transfixed upon Relena's hypnotic pacing.
"Relena doesn't have a party affiliation," Heero said.
"But she's not a conservative and it's not easy to convince one, or anybody for that matter, that one of their own means to backstab them," Dorothy said.
Heero nudged Dorothy with a cup of coffee. Dorothy looked down and a slight look of surprise appeared on her face.
"The vending machines are out of coffee," Dorothy said. "Did you break into the kitchen? Or did you disable the security system of the whole building just to go out and grab coffee?"
"I held the door open with a chair," Heero replied.
"Well, I do know her. And you're just going to have to trust me, she's not above it," Relena said. "I'm not asking for a favour. I'm not asking for a vote. I'm not asking for anything. This is just friendly advice."
There was a palpable silence that permeated the room for a brief moment.
"Yes. You're welcome. I'd like to think you would do the same for me, although I won't hold you to that," Relena spoke again. "Yes, you too. Bye now."
The moment she ended the call Relena let out a deep sigh as her posture collapsed. She hung herself in that position for a moment before she popped back up, artificially conjuring up a look of determination.
"That's three down," Relena announced. "One more to go."
"Unfortunately, I haven't been able to reach Councilor Pearson as of yet, it's really late right now, or early…" Cindy said.
"Well keep calling!" Relena insisted.
"Nope! That's enough for you," Heero said as he stood up from the couch.
"Where's my coffee?" Relena asked as she turned to face him.
"That's funny," Heero said without actually laughing as he wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her close. "You need sleep."
"I'm not tired," Relena protested. "And I'm not done."
"You are for now," Heero said as he fell back onto the couch, dragging Relena along.
"Oh alright," Relena relented as soon as she saw Heero slip out of his jacket and wrap it around her.
She nestled herself into the crook of Heero's arm as he lay down on the couch acting as her cushion. Relena was half asleep already. Dorothy rolled her eyes as she got up from the couch to make room for the couple.
"Fine, take a nap. I'll wake you when we get a hold of Councilor Pearson," Dorothy said in an impatient tone. "But keep your hands above the jacket. I'm watching you two."
Etterbeek, Brussels
Duo stared into a largely empty refrigerator. All that space and nothing in it. What a waste, he thought. All Hope had were just a few bottles of beer and a couple of half empty bottles of wine. He forced himself not to take one. It had been a long day for everyone, but it had been especially long for him. He hadn't slept in nearly 24 hours. Hope wasn't fairing much better.
"I'm going to order some food," Duo said with a big yawn as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.
He didn't hear a response from Hope. Duo made his way back into the living room only to find Hope where she had been since she got home, sitting on the couch, her eyes transfixed on her laptop screen.
"I'm going to order some food," Duo said once again, softer this time. "Do you want anything?"
"Huh?" Hope uttered. She looked up at him. She seemed to take a few moments to regain her bearings. "No, I'm okay."
Duo made his way over to her. He gently forced the lid of her laptop closed. "You have to stop. This isn't healthy."
Still reeling from the events of the day, Hope looked down at her hands as she balled them up into fists. Her nerves were fried and she had been feeling lightheaded from crying all day. Duo took a seat beside her, gently pulling her into his warm embrace, and without a word, she collapsed onto his chest.
"Do you think he's okay?" Hope's voice quivered as she tried desperately not to burst out into tears once again.
"I'm sure he's fine," Duo said. "They took him alive after all."
Hope took her phone out of her pocket, pulled up the Preventers app, and used her fingerprint to log in. Preventers agent confirmed, Hope de Vries. She navigated to her project files and pulled up the security camera footage of the attack on the police transport. Her eyes immediately zeroed in on the woman in the pig's mask. She had seen the footage hundreds of times already, each time hoping that it would reveal something new. A hand covered the screen.
"You really need to give it a rest," Duo said as he gently forced her phone down.
"Tell me the truth," Hope said as she propped herself up to look at Duo. "Do you know who she is?"
"Of course not, why would I know that?" Duo asked, sounding rather perplexed.
"Isn't there some underground secret ex-soldiers club or something?"
Hope looked away, she realized how stupid that sounded the moment the words left her mouth.
"Underground secret ex-soldiers… club?" Duo tried hard not to laugh.
"Oh shut up, you know what I mean," Hope said as she slapped him across his chest. She cracked a smile. It was the first one in a long time.
Mae Hong Son, Thailand
The next day
She sat at the water's edge, dipping her feet into the pool and rhythmically kicking them, creating perfectly symmetrical ripples that radiated outward towards the infinite midnight horizon. She swirled her half full glass of wine, subconsciously mimicking the motions of the water. She felt nothing. Which surprised her. Nothing but an empty void that no words, thoughts, or emotions could penetrate.
Toro Campana wasn't some marvelous one of the kind man. Stacy was all too aware of that fact. He was shallow, vain, and had a bad habit of getting way too drunk. But who was she to judge? She too had her moments. Still, he was young and charming and seemed to genuinely enjoy her company. And he made her feel young and alive again. For she so desperately needed that in her life when she first met him at a Lucio company wide conference two years ago.
He was the newly minted hotshot CFO that Lucio had poached from a rival company. She was the aging, but still vividly charismatic trophy wife of some octogenarian board member. It was lust at first sight. They immediately fucked that same night. Something about that night kept her coming back to him.
He was neither all that attractive or even had that much to say. He just had an energy about him that was infectious. And his dark business dealings made him seem exciting and dangerous. Perhaps she needed a little danger in her life. She went with him to one of his clandestine meetings, as a representative of her husband's interests, of course. That's when she first met the Merchant, Rinus Van Der Deen, and Wolfgang Preto. She wasn't quite sure what they were doing or even why. All she was sure of was that it involved mobile suit production and that was illegal and therefore exciting. She wanted in on the game.
To everyone's surprise, including her own, she was quite good at the game. Luring men to the the dark side and manipulating them towards the ends of the unholy Alliance forged between the remnants of Romefeller and the Barton Foundation came remarkably easily to her. She was the sugar to Wolfgang's salt. And most of all, it was fun for her.
Not anymore though. The thrill of it all had quickly dissipated in a single earth shattering moment. She couldn't shake the image of Toro's bloody corpse being removed from the car. That once charismatic man that she had cared for, if not actually loved, lifeless, with his eyes, once filled with spirit, now hollow, made it all too real. Suddenly, she wasn't just playing international criminal. She was one.
"It had to be done."
She was startled by Wolfgang's deep and solid voice coming from behind her. She didn't even realize he was there. That was his way.
He didn't deny doing it, nor did he apologize for ordering the murder of Toro. That was the type of man he was. For him, this had always been real.
She turned slowly to look at him. His empty grey eyes stared back at her and in that moment, she understood how different they were. She was disinterested to the era that came before. Afterall, a pretty girl could survive in just about any era if she had a modicum of intelligence and charm. But for Wolfgang, the former soldier turned rich indolent, he needed this.
She stood up and met his cold gaze with her own. For a moment, she want to tell him off, but she decided against it. He knew he had the upper hand on her. She didn't even love him, so what was there to complain about? And even if she did, that wouldn't stop him. She was an ally, a convenience, nothing more. He would kill her too if it should become necessary.
Instead, without saying a single word to him, stood up, stepped out of the pool, and she walked away.
"I'm deeply saddened to hear of the attack in Brussels. Violence of any kind has no place in our society, still recovering from a disastrous war. We will not let those who seek to divide and scare, push us off the path of peace. And it is my sincerest wish to return to my city as soon as possible so that I can aide in its recovery to the fullest extent of my abilities."
Relena spoke with clarity, conviction, and grace. She knew what it was to stand up to political violence with her words. At this point in her career she was as good at it as anyone.
It was no surprise when Cindy informed her that the L2 press had formed a crowd outside of the Capitol Building asking for a statement on the events. They had all anticipated it as soon as they heard the news while they were working through the night. They made a few calls to the Foreign Ministry and the Preventers as soon as they had gotten word, but there was nothing they could do from L2. With that understanding, they continued to work through the night on reconciling the Finance Ministry and the L2 delegation's proposals, while simultaneously trying to politically out flank Ainsley, so that Relena could have some leverage going into the second day's negotiations.
In the early morning, Cindy and Heero rushed back to the hotel to grab Relena a fresh change of clothes and some toiletries so that she could freshen up before the media scrum. If anyone was looking, it was still quite clear that despite the makeup, the dry shampoo, and the fresh change of clothes that Relena still looked rather tired from working so late but her team had hoped that the media would just interpret her dishevelled state as a reaction to the news of Brussels.
"How does Foreign Minister Brandt plan to address this attack?" One reporter shouted.
"I haven't spoken to the Foreign Minister since the attack and I won't speak for him now. I'm sure he'll make a statement soon," Relena answered without quite answering.
"What about Director Une? Have you spoken to her?" Another reporter asked.
"Yes, I have. And I can assure you that she is on top of the situation. There's nothing to worry about," Relena answered.
"Your personal security is provided by the Preventers organization. Given the recent failure of intelligence in regards to the Lucio incident, now this attack in the capital. How much do you trust your current security?"
She paused for a moment. Not long but long enough for her to realize that she had. The question almost felt inappropriate. As if it was an indirect slight about her relationship with Heero, though while unannounced was pretty much public knowledge at this point. Relena quickly looked at the microphone of the reporter. Was he a tabloid journalist? No, he wasn't. Still, she wondered what he meant by the question.
"Completely," she answered.
"Alright, thank you for your questions. But the Vice-Foreign Minister has to attend to her duties," Dorothy said as she marched in front of the cameras.
While Dorothy commanded the attention of the crowd, Heero quickly escorted Relena from the center of the foyer into the hallway towards the elevators.
"What did you think that last reporter meant by that question?" Relena asked as she forced herself to keep pace with Heero.
"Nothing," Heero answered as he jammed the elevator button.
They waited in silence for a few minutes as they watched the number above the elevator slowly decrease. Suddenly alone, Relena felt the weight of the question she had just asked, realizing only then that Heero too understood the meaning of the reporter and perhaps was even hurt by it.
The elevator arrived. The door opened. They stepped in.
"We're going to have to talk about it eventually," Relena finally said.
"I know," Heero said.
Again silence enveloped the space between them. Relena could sense the tension in his voice. Mostly because he had always been so self-assured, so confident. Even in the face of impossible danger. She had grown accustomed to his stoic disposition. Seeing him silently sulk broke her heart.
She reached out and took his hand.
"When you're ready," she said softly.
Heero looked up and caught sight of her warm smile. She exuded a quiet geneoristy and love that made him drop his guard. He leaned in to kiss her. But the elevator came to a stop and the door opened before he could.
They were met by Ainsley and the rest of the L2 delegation as they stepped off of the elevator. The meeting had to be postponed for an hour so that Relena could make her official address to the media concerning the events back on Earth.
"I'm glad you could make it," Ainsley said.
Relena simply flashed a warm smile at her old rival as they made their way towards the conference room. Before entering, Relena leaned over and whispered to Heero's ear, "we can talk later tonight. I promise."
Presidential Palace, Brussels
January 31st, AC 199
"The city is under lockdown. Every news outlet in the world is demanding answers. Party leaders, including my own, are calling for my head! Reporters are camping outside my house, harassing my kids, cornering my staff! I haven't slept in 30 hours!" President Hoch was seething. "Give me one fucking reason I shouldn't toss you two to the wolves!?"
Ingrid and Une sat silently in their chairs, afraid to make eye contact with each other or their boss. They were not normally so deferential to the president, who they always thought of more as a benign referee rather than an actual head of state. They were both used to the rule of charismatic military strongman rather than the lawful But given the circumstances, they felt it appropriate to show some humility.
"I should fire you right now," President Hoch said to Une in a calmer voice that somehow sounded far more threatening.
"You need Parliament's consent to do that," Une replied as professionally and calmly as she could manage in that moment.
"Keep playing that card," the president said with derision. "See how long that flimsy bit of protection will last you. I have an election coming up and I'm done saving your ass. If the Security and Intelligence Committee drags you back in front of them to testify don't think for a second that they'll go easy on you again."
Ingrid remained silent throughout the entire exchange. In any other circumstance she may have interrupted with a snide remark at Une's expense, but she knew full well that she was next. The Metropolitan Police was directly under the jurisdiction of the Justice Department and had been coordinating the transfer of Tristan de Vries with her office.
"And you, don't think I forgot your sloppy handling of this situation!" Right on cue. "Director Une may have the erstwhile protection of the General Assembly, but you don't! I can fire you right now."
"I'm well aware of that, sir," Ingrid, like Une, spoke in a submissive voice.
His demeanour shifted once he felt he had the submission of both his intelligence director and his chief lawyer. The president relaxed and slumped into his chair. He was tired and he didn't handle the pressure well. His brief tenure as the head of state of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation had been a rocky one, plagued by constant political tension and one emergency after another. He was also old, and in Une's estimation, ill suited for the job. He was a consensus seeker, a mediator, a diplomat. In fact, that's what he had been before the formation of the ESUN. But Une supposed that the time for military dictators was over, and it was the new reality she had to get used to. And while it felt instinctively wrong for her to submit herself to someone who's will seemed obviously weaker than hers, she understood what calamitous series of events had led the world down this path. And she ultimately had no desire to return to the old way of doing things.
The meeting lasted another hour. Neither Une or Ingrid spoke in that time. When they were finally released, Une intercepted Ingrid before she could storm off back to the Justice Department.
"What do you want?" Ingrid barked at Une.
"We have to stop this. One of my men are dead, and five of yours," Une said. "We have to start working together!"
"Work together?!" Ingrid said incredulously. "Oh now you want to work together?! Where was this congenial attitude a month ago?!"
"You were asking me to break protocol! This is different!" Une shot back.
"Yes, this is much worse! You let my key witness get assassinated! You've completely fucked me!"
"And you let my only lead escape!"
"Let me make one thing perfectly clear," Ingrid said, lowering her voice as she stepped closer to Une. "We're done. Whatever… whatever we were. That's over now. You're dead to me."
Ainsley gritted her teeth as she watched helplessly while Relena commanded the meeting. Due to Relena's seemingly renewed spirit, lacking none of the indecision and timidity of the day before, Ainsley was unable to make her objections known as the constant stream of adulation and gratitude that came from the L2 delegation left her with very few moments to speak. Relena had mostly sided with the colonists on most points of contention, except for a few issues of regulatory enforcement which she so generously agreed with the Finance Ministry and made some general proclamations about the ultimate authority of Brussels that were so vague as to be meaningless. Ainsley could tell that they were vague because of the colonial acquiescence to the point, which she knew the colonists would never agree to if ever made concrete. Ainsley couldn't believe the audacity of Relena, so obviously favouring one side over another. And favouring the side of the colonial over her own government!
As the meeting adjourned, Ainsley found that Relena was the last to get up as if summoning the aura of her former Royal dignity as each and every delegate came over and shook her hand, almost as if paying homage. Ainsley dragged herself out of her chair and was one of the last people in the room. To her surprise, Relena rose to meet her.
"That was not a wise decision, Relena," Ainsley said in as calm a voice as she could muster.
"Oh, I beg to differ," Relena replied calmly as she gathered her things.
"You think the president will be happy with what you've done? Do you know how much work you've undone here today?" Ainsley's voice rose to the brink of anger.
"Oh, spare me your pathetic protest and your faux-indignation," Relena's royal voice slipped through. "I tire of your games."
A voice that gave Ainsley pause.
"You think this is a game," Ainsley stated rather than asked.
"No, you think this is a game. Playing with the lives and wellbeing of the colonies all to further your political ambitions," Relena said.
"Excuse me?" Ainsley sneered.
"Don't play dumb, it doesn't suit you. These are ridiculous terms you've set for the colonies, you know it, I know it. The bondholders back on Earth know it too. I suspect that's what you want. To be seen as strong, a fiscal conservative, a proponent of austerity," Relena said, each sentence coming as a direct attack. "Not while I'm here. Not on my watch."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ainsley remarked.
"Oh and you should know, I called Cornwallis, Randolph, Hood, and Pearson," Relena said. "I let them know you're coming for their seats."
Ainsley balled her hand into a fist. Relena noticed the action, for a second she wondered if Ainsley would actually hit her. It would be a bold move. But Relena had stared down far more dangerous and violent men than Ainsley. But the moment passed and Ainsley released the tension in her hand.
"You think you're so clever…" Ainsley said, her lip quivering. "You think you have the whole world wrapped around your finger. You don't know what it's like. You have no idea what it is to work for something. To build something for yourself and not have it hand it to you at birth."
"Oh please, you're just as rich and spoiled as I am," Relena said. "This isn't high school. You cannot intimidate me anymore."
"And you can't dictate the terms of this negotiation simply because you've discovered my plans to run for office," Ainsley said. "Do you really think telling on me is going to dissuade me from running? Or pushing for the proper terms here? You have no leverage."
"I have no leverage?" Relena very nearly burst out laughing. "I don't know if you read the polls but I'm twice as popular as you."
"Irrelevant, I'm not running against you," Ainsley stated.
"You'll be running against my endorsement," Relena said.
"You'd endorse one of the conservatives in the Council all to stop me?" Ainsley asked incredulously.
"Honey, for you, I'll open my whole trust fund," Relena shot back condescendingly. "And not to put too fine a point on it, but mine's a little bigger than yours."
"With the world watching, the reclusive Director of the Preventers organization has yet to make a public statement about the attack, although sources say that Director Une is planning to make a public address sometime tomorrow afternoon…"
Relena sat in the middle of the cafeteria of the Capitol Building slowly savouring a well-deserved banana split while casually watching the news on the screens mounted all around. The morning of negotiations ran a little long, but it had also been highly productive. The lunchtime crowd had mostly cleared out by the time she had gotten there.
Still it wasn't completely devoid of people. Like any government building, people were always taking late lunches. Relena eyes wandered as she watched these unknown people go about their business. She had always enjoyed people watching. She was curious about them. Relena had only ever lived her one experience. And it was a rather unique one at that, privileged and often cloistered, she understood from an early age that she did not live like most people.
As she eyes moved around the room, she caught sight of someone familiar. She stood at the counter empty a couple of packets of sugar into her coffee. It took Relena a few seconds to place her. The black hair with the bluish tinge and her slender figure were unmistakable.
"Hilde?" Relena shouted across the room, no doubt disturbing the peace and conversations of the others that shared that space. "Hilde Schbeiker?"
The woman turned to look at Relena. Relena practically jumped out of her seat. She immediately rushed over and gave Hilde a big hug.
"Oh my god, I haven't seen you in forever!" Relena said.
"It's good to see you too, Relena," Hilde said with a smile that mirrored Relena's happiness, if not her exuberance.
"How are you?" Relena asked.
Hilde took a second to formulate her words, "all things considered. Not bad."
"What are you doing here?" Relena asked.
"I'm meeting with my lawyer," Hilde said. "I'm selling the salvaging business. I'm just here to fill out some forms for the government."
"You're selling?" Relena asked. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's fine. Don't worry, this isn't some kind of firesale. I'm just… moving on," Hilde said.
"Moving on?" Relena sounded a little confused for a moment. "Of course. I'm an idiot. I forgot that Duo has been on Earth for the past few months. I ran into him actually. In the hospital and at the Armistice Ceremony. He told me what happened. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," Hilde said as she forced a smile. "It was for the best. He seems to be doing better."
"Heero told me he stopped an assassination attempt," Relena said. "Well, the first one at least."
"Right, I just heard. Sounds scary, all that stuff going on right now," Hilde said.
"Well, we always knew it wouldn't be easy," Relena said.
"Speaking of," Hilde said. "How are things with Heero? Is it true?"
"What do you think?" Relena asked, shooting Hilde a sly look.
"Well, I had a feeling," Hilde said. "I'm happy for you. You deserve it more than anybody."
"Thank you. It has been quite the journey."
"Hope it was worth it."
"Absolutely," Relena said.
Just then, someone caught Hilde's attention. Relena turned to see who she was looking at. It was a plain looking man in a tanned suit.
"That's my lawyer," Hilde said. "I gotta go. It was nice seeing you again, Relena."
"Wait, I'm in town for at least another night because of the lockdown at the Brussels spaceport," Relena said. "We should catch up. Are you free for dinner?"
"Ummm… yeah!" Hilde replied.
"Great, I'll send you the details!"
The Valknut, Preventers Headquarters
"It's late, go home," Une said.
"Are you sure, I can stay a bit longer if you'd like," her secretary offered in timid voice that was somehow even more demure than usual.
Une let out a deep sigh. "It's fine, I got everything under control."
"Okay," her secretary said. "Call me if you need anything."
Une turned off the intercom after that. She was in no mood to coddle her staff, least of all her secretary. Although, Une couldn't really blame the girl. The office phones had been ringing non-stop since the attack. In fact, Une quite admired the girl's loyalty and dedication. Good help was hard to come by.
The day was winding down at long last and the last thing Une needed was for busy bodies hanging around pretending to do work. She understood their compulsion. Everyone was still rather shaken by the events of the day before. A terrorist attack, assassinating a key witness in the state's case against a secret cabal within one of the world's largest corporations. The peace that had proved itself so fragile in the wake of Mariemaia's rebellion was once again rattled by seemingly unpredictable events.
But they weren't unpredictable. And that's what had been eating away at Une since the moment she found out about them. She had been so careful. She had kept her circle small, deliberately so. She had compartmentalized her teams, split up her objectives. Yet somehow, they, whomever they were, outmanoeuvred her once again.
Une stared out the window of her office at the city as the last rays of a fading sun disappeared over the horizon leaving behind only a canopy of purple and orange clouds. She let out a long and deep sigh. She reached into the bottom drawer of her desk and took out a bottle of scotch and a tumbler. Pouring herself half a glass, she scanned over the list of names and faces she had pulled up on her holographic display. These were the people she had let in on her plans. Someone had betrayed her. At first she thought it may have been Ingrid, but given how she had reacted when Une confronted her after the meeting with the President, Une surmised it couldn't have been her former lover. The woman seemed genuinely distraught. And whatever Ingrid was, she wasn't passive aggressive. She wouldn't torpedo her own case and possibly her own political ambitions just to get back at Une.
It wasn't a very long list. That's what was so frustrating. Une had considered that the weak link may have been someone in Ingrid's office or within the Metropolitan Police. But that would only explain, Tristan's escape, not Toro's assassination. No, it had to be someone who had a connection to both. One face jumped out at her.
The Court, restaurant inside of the Regency Hotel
Heero managed to convince Relena not to go very far for their little celebration/date, partly out of concern for her safety, but also because he didn't feel like dealing with the crowd of photographers and reporters that would undoubtedly mob them the moment they stepped out of the hotel. Heero suggested room service, but Relena was in a good mood after defeating Ainsley during the day's negotiations as well as laying a long overdue verbal smackdown on her old nemesis. She wanted to get dressed up and be seen.
They compromised and settled for the restaurant inside of the hotel. It had good reviews and was formal enough for Relena to dress up. After getting back to the hotel around 5 in the afternoon, she took a well-deserved nap before getting up around 9 to shower, re-apply her makeup, and pick out a dress. Heero took the time to review some of the photographs and surveillance data that Trowa had sent earlier in the day. While doing so, he pondered what to wear, a question that he's been encountering more frequently as of late. He had his usual Preventers jacket, which he felt most comfortable in. But somehow, he figured Relena would disapprove. He had also brought a dinner jacket and a tuxedo, courtesy of Maxine, Relena's stylist. In the end he decided upon the dinner jacket since the restaurant seemed like it had a dress code.
"Go on without me. I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes," Relena's voice came from inside the bathroom.
"Hn?" Heero turned to look at her.
She peaked out from behind the bathroom door. "I'm just finishing up. Go on."
"I can wait," Heero said.
"Ughh," Relena practically growled. "Just go. I want to surprise you."
Heero was utterly confused, but in the end acquiesced to her demands. It seemed important to her, and he was just going to wait for her in the lobby. She wouldn't be in any danger. Heero waited for her in the lobby just outside of the restaurant. A few minutes later, Relena emerged from the elevator and the sight of her caused the temperamentally stoic Heero's eyes to widen and his mouth to open.
Her hair was in a loose side swept braid, she wore a white single shouldered waterfall dress, and a pair of silver heels. She didn't just catch Heero's attention. The whole lobby of the hotel seemed to come to a stop when she stepped off of the elevator. But this fact seemed to escape Relena, or more likely, she pretended not to notice. She locked eyes with Heero and made her way over to him. She kissed him gently on the cheek, leaving a faint impression of her lipstick.
"Do you like your surprise?" Relena asked.
"You look… stunning," Heero just barely managed to say.
Heero and Relena were seated immediately by an overly enthusiastic host. Despite Heero's attempt at avoiding the attention of the press by not leaving the hotel, he couldn't escape the inevitable glances and stares of the patrons of the restaurant. He figured he would be used to it by now after all the stares he had gotten from students when he and Relena attended class together. But this time, that same anxiety was paired with a new feeling; a feeling of pride.
A waiter came over and filled their glasses with water.
"Can I get you something to drink?" the waiter asked.
"Champagne!" Relena said with almost a giddy smile.
"Are we celebrating?" Heero asked.
"You bet your ass we are," Relena said.
"Right away," the waiter said just before departing.
"The meetings went well, I assume," Heero said.
"You should've been there!" Relena said enthusiastically. "I was on fire!"
"It's okay, I know what you're like when you're fired up," Heero said as he took a sip of his water.
"How was your day?" Relena asked. "I feel like you were in and out all day."
Heero hesitated for a moment. For a split second, he almost forgot that his work with Trowa was classified. Since the call early in the morning, Heero had been sitting on disconcerting information and trying to figure out what to do with it. He had tried calling Une, but to no avail. He wasn't surprised. What did surprise him was that he actually wanted to tell Relena what was going on. In the old days, he would just take off and blow for a few weeks, gather the required ordinances, find a way to transport them to the colony and blow up the operation all by himself. It was that simple and he knew he could still do it. But it wasn't the old days anymore and he couldn't just disappear for a weeks at a time. He had other responsibilities. Relena, being chief among them.
"Relena!" Heero her a strikingly familiar voice come from behind him.
He turned to see who it was. It was Hilde, standing at the entrance of the restaurant. Heero turned back to look at Relena as she waved at her enthusiastically.
"Don't be mad, but I ran into Hilde at the Capitol Building today," Relena said quickly under her breath. "I invited her to join us. I hope you don't mind."
"I don't mind, but you know what happened between her and Duo, right?" Heero asked, sounding pedantically anxious perhaps for the first time in his life.
"Yeah so what? Does that mean we can't be friends?" Relena said. "If you ask me, they made a big mistake breaking up. They were so good together."
"Does she know about Hope?" Heero asked.
"Who the hell is Hope?" Relena asked.