Chapter Thirty-Three
Secret Plans

By the time Heero returned to the Senate House, Relena was already fuming. He had left her with a couple of agents while he ran back to HQ. He needed to grab a few things before they headed back to Relena's office for the rest of the day.

The half-hour trip turned into over an hour between finding out Serena was at Preventer and Wufei's impromptu request to have Serena help him. All of which had Heero's head spinning. Then to top it off, between traffic and the fact he had stopped to grab one of Relena's favorite coffees, as an apology, Heero had now been gone a total of an hour and forty-five minutes.

Luckily for him, Relena's anger was directed at one of the bodyguards left to watch over her. From what Heero saw the poor guy must've said or done something wrong because Relena was giving him the full treatment. She was running through the list of procedures and protocols.

Heero smiled to himself as he came to stand next to her. Even when Relena complained about the long and possibly never-ending list he had created, Relena still knew when it was acceptable to bend the rules and when it was completely out of the question.

Like right now.

"Agent Douglas, you and I both know now is not the time to be slipping up. These procedures are put into place not just for my safety, but for yours as well. Please, next time do not forget that," Relena said with her chin lifted with all the poise of the politician she was.

"Is everything all right here?" Heero asked, eyeing Agent Douglas who looked like he was about ready to hightail it out of the building.

"Yes sir! Everything is fine," Matthew Douglas said with a shaky voice.

"Agent Yuy," Relena said, turning herself to face him. "I think Agent Douglas needs another reminder of what our procedures and protocols are. I have already refreshed his memory but I think it would be wise if you were to sit him down and go over them again," Relena said. Heero had always preferred her to call him by his first name. But Heero would be lying if he didn't enjoy hearing her say his last name with such an authoritative sound to it.

"I appreciate your opinion, Ms. Darlian." Heero saw the twinkle in Relena's eyes along with the small smile she gave him right before she schooled her features.

"Thank you, I believe it's time to leave now. Am I going back to my office with you, Agent Yuy?" Relena asked. Heero nodded his head, placing a hand on the small of her back. Heero dismissed the two agents.

"I hope you know that I like it when you take your safety into your own hands," Heero whispered to Relena as they made their way down the hallway towards the parking garage. He heard Relena chuckle before she turned ocean blue eyes to him.

"I'm happy that I made you proud. You've drilled them into me more than I think you have Matthew. I do feel bad for him, but he needed a reminder. Especially with us being on high alert."

"You should know them like the back of your hand, for this very reason. Matthew also hasn't been on duty with you for some time. You were right to go over them with him. I'll make sure I do as well."

"I do like him. I hope I didn't scare him too much."

"He'll be fine. I would like to have him put on full-time for your security detail. That's if Une agrees and if he wants to after this."

"Heero! I'm not that terrible!" Relena said, swatting his arm playfully. Heero smiled as he opened the door to the garage. Scanning the area before they headed towards his SUV.

Just because they were having a lighthearted moment during their workday didn't mean that he could slip up. Relena was his number one priority.

"We need to make one stop before we head to your office," Heero said once inside the vehicle.

"Oh?" Relena lifted an eyebrow at him. "And what is that?"

"I want this," Serena said.

It was all Trowa needed to hear before he crushed his lips to Serena's. Wrapping his arms around her, Trowa wanted Serena to feel how he truly felt about her. Serena's arms wound themselves around his neck, tilting her head she parted her lips.

Trowa broke the kiss first after a few moments, pulling back enough to stare into Serena's midnight blue eyes.

"Whatever happens we'll deal with it when the time comes."

"How can you be so sure?" Serena asked. Trowa could see the doubt swimming in her eyes. Serena had let her guard down, if only for a moment, then she was back to putting up the wall she surrounded herself with.

Serena may have been opening up more to him in the last week, but she was still guarded when it came to certain things. Trowa never pushed Serena, knowing it could potentially drive her away from him, and that was the last thing he wanted.

Trowa was normally just as guarded. But when it came to Serena, those walls of his were slowly starting to crumble with every look she gave him.

Something about Serena was unlike anyone he had ever met, and regardless of whatever the outcome may be, Trowa knew without a doubt that he wanted to make this work and share a future with her.

Trowa knew he couldn't just walk away even if Serena had said no. He needed to find out why he felt such a strong connection to her and why Serena was the first person to ever make him feel this way.

"Because I believe in what this could be," Trowa said. Serena's guard came up completely then. Her eyes changed from a soft deep blue to hard steel. "Don't do-"

"Don't do what?" Serena cut him off.

"Don't block me out because you're unsure," Trowa frowned.

"I have my doubts."

"And you're allowed to have those feelings," Trowa said. Serena sighed as she turned her head away from him.

"I don't know how to be in a real relationship. I don't know what goes into making one work," she said, turning back to him.

"A relationship takes two people willing to work together, Serena. It won't be easy at times but you can't just shut down. You need to be honest with me. Though I don't think that'll be a problem for you." Trowa's lips curled up at her questioning look. "You like to be very straightforward about some things."

"That's different."

"How so?"

"A sexual relationship and a romantic relationship are two different things." Serena frowned, pulling away from him. "I don't associate the two. It's just easier for me," she said. As much as her words stung, Trowa understood. He had been in her shoes more than once on the subject.

"I understand, and I appreciate your honesty," Trowa said calmly. Serena's brow lifted at him. "That's all I want from you. From there we can work on whatever issues you have or if you're unsure about how you're feeling. I'll help you."

"You're too kind, Barton."

"With you, yes," Trowa laughed. He reached out to pull her back into an embrace. Trowa felt Serena rest her head against his chest. "Just give this a chance, that's all I'm asking."

They stood together for a few moments before Serena's voice broke through the comfortable silence.

"I need to go," Serena whispered as she pulled away from him. Leaning down, Trowa kissed her one last time.

"I'll bring you to Une's office."

Serena had been sitting in a chair opposite Une for the past few minutes. Une was still on the phone with the President and Serena was starting to wonder why Une had allowed her secretary to let her in.

Though it could've been because the poor girl had been freaking out.

The moment Trowa and Serena had stepped off the elevator and made their way over to where the girl was sitting, she had gone completely pale. Serena had glanced at the name tag when they got closer.

Felicia Willington.

If Serena had to guess, Felicia was roughly around the same age as she was.

Serena did find it slightly assuming when Felicia stumbled over her words when she spoke to Trowa. Along with the fact, Felicia had frowned when Trowa placed his hand on Serena's back before he leaned in to speak with her quietly. Felicia had quickly pulled herself together when Trowa had turned back to address her again.

Serena had walked away then, she wasn't interested in whatever they were going to discuss.

Instead of sitting as Trowa asked her to, Serena had walked around the open space looking at various plants and pictures hanging on the walls. Not even a moment later Trowa was standing next to Serena, informing her to go straight into Une's office and that he'd wait outside for her.

Now here Serena was, staring at anything that was within her line of sight. She was half tempted to get up and walk around but thought better of it. It wasn't that she was nervous or that she needed to think about something, but rather Serena was bored waiting.

"All right, thank you, sir. Have a good day," Une said before she hung up her desk phone. Une looked up with a slight hint of irritation on her face. "I apologize for taking so long. I'm sure you heard I was speaking with the President."

"It's all right. What did you need to speak to me about?"

"We have a few things to discuss. I'd like to start with the special project you've been working on."

"What about it?" Serena lifted a brow. She thought they were on the same page when it came to the subject.

"Have you completed the blueprints for both the Mobile Suits and Gundam?" Une's face had become a mask. Serena wondered why Une wanted them detailed so much. It wasn't like they could take them out using a .45 caliber gun.

"I have."

Une nodded her head, "good. I would like you to send them to me. I want to go over them before the meeting."

"Why?" Serena saw Une's face harden. "You do realize that you can't just destroy them without your own mobile Suits or similar weaponry. My Gundam, if someone were foolish enough to finish and pilot it, would be able to destroy anything in its path."

"Yes, I am aware of that, and I know that you know that I once was a pilot. I even piloted Heero's first Gundam," Une laughed. "Serena, we need the blueprints because you're the only one who knows how they function and what their capabilities are," Une said calmly.

"Yes, we discussed this already."

"Yes, we did," Une nodded her head again. "But there's something else I need from you. If we were able to locate your Gundam would you be able to use it to stop the Mobile Suits if ROE were to use them to attack the Earth or Colonies?"

Serena cringed inward. She could… if she reprogramed the ZERO system. But why was Une asking her to do this? There were others that Une trusted far more to pilot her Gundam than herself. Serena wondered briefly if this was some sort of test. If Une wasn't trying to decide if she was trustworthy or not.

"Yes, but that's a very big if. We don't even know if the Gundam is completed, and getting to it won't be easy. As far as the Mobile Suits, last I knew there were a total of two hundred."

"What?" Une's face paled. Serena swore she told Une this information.

"I thought I informed you of this. Not all the suits are piloted by soldiers. They can all run off the ZERO system as Mobile Dolls."

"All right, regardless I know now," Une pinched the bridge of her nose. "We have the Aventinus that can assist."

"The Aventinus only has enough firepower to take out a quarter of those suits. I can always hack into the MD's system and deactivate them." Une snapped her head up. Serena cursed to herself again. "The MDs are based on my training and simulation exercises. They fight the same way I do. Even if I weren't able to fully deactivate all of them I could handle them."

"How do you know about the Aventinus?"

"I know a lot more than you think I do. But what I can tell you is even with the ship's onboard weapons, it won't be enough to take out two-hundred suits on its own." Serena knew Une wanted more of an answer to the question, but Serena was hoping her vague response would be enough and Une wouldn't press her further.

"Can you locate your Gundam then?"

"Wufei gave me a list of locations that were left on the data we collected from the base in Germany. He believes I can find the locations of where ROE is hiding."

"I want you to work on that," Une said. Serena nodded her head. "There's also one more thing I need from you. We need to plan on how you'd like to proceed with the arrests. I want you to be a part of this even if you can't be out in the field. You'll need to go over every report. It'll be too easy for any one of them to lie. We can't be running around with false leads. They may say something that might help trigger something for you."

"I'm not sure I follow. I don't mind going over the reports but as far as what they may say," Serena shook her head. "There's only one person whom I want to be brought here. The rest interview and gather as much information as possible. But… Christopher Edman. I want him brought here."

"He wasn't on the list you've provided."

"He's the latest one I've found. I haven't sent in that report yet, but I want him brought here," Serena tightened her eyes. "I want to personally interrogate him. He's the best chance we have of finding out any information."

"Do you know him personally?"

"Yes."

"I'll think about it."

"There's nothing to think about. He won't tell you a damn thing. You're better off letting me handle him. Edman worked closely with me. He knew just as much about my Gundam and what the leaders were doing." Serena curled her lip up. "He was their go-to for keeping tabs on me. Edman may not think that I knew, but I did."

"What else can you tell me about him?" Une leaned back in her chair.

"He recently joined Preventer." Serena could feel her smile growing. "Three months ago."

The moment the words left her mouth, Serena knew she had won her case.

"I'll make sure he's brought here. But," Une sat up straighter, leaning her forearms on her desk. "You will abide by my rules."

"No deal," Serena said. Une's eyes widened slightly before narrowing. "I want permission to interrogate with no restrictions," Serena leaned forward, lowering her voice, "I won't kill him, but I want permission to use force when necessary."

"Serena, I can't allow that. We have rules and regulations."

"Which you've ignored since I've been here. Edman is mine. If you want answers let me handle him." Serena sat back in her seat. Une sat back, folding her hands in front of her. There was a long pause before Une finally spoke.

"You will be fully monitored and if at any time, and I mean that, if you push the limits I will have you removed from the room. And I won't allow you to go into the room right away. I'll have Heero or Wufei go in first. See what he's willing to say. Do you understand?"

"Send Heero in first. It'll be icing on the cake when I walk through the door." Serena felt her lips tug upwards.

"He knows about Heero and you?" Une asked. Serena nodded her head. "We'll discuss it when the time comes. I've agreed to this much for one day but we do need to discuss how we should proceed with the rest of the arrests."

"I thought we agreed on arresting everyone all at once. If word got out, which it still might, we need the upper hand in gathering all of them." Serena frowned.

"Yes, but I want to know who we should start with. The ones you feel might run first."

Serena narrowed her eyes, "I don't know all of them personally, not to mention there's a chance I missed some. I was going solely based on facial recognition before I found a pattern. I feel the best plan of attack is to arrest all of them at once. It leaves less room for error. The only question is who can you trust to handle this?"

"I have people who work for this agency that I can trust. I can't risk sending anyone from here. Heero is too busy with Relena's security. Trowa is your-"

"Babysitter," Serena cut Une off. "I'm well aware of that. I do agree that Heero needs to stay here. It's too much of a risk sending him out. It could potentially lead to another threat against Relena's life if word got out that he was gone for an extended time. What about Duo and Wufei? Could we send them to a few locations?"

"Unfortunately we can't," Une shook her head. "I need them here. But I do have people I can count on. I'll draw up a plan and send it to you later. If you agree, we'll start right away with preparations. I want this done and over with as fast as possible."

"Agreed," Serena said.

"There's one last thing I'd like to discuss with you," Une said casually as she folded her hands onto her desk.

"What is it?"

A/N

Happy Wednesday!

Where to start? I hope you enjoyed the little moment between Heero and Relena. I know it's a short scene but I hope you felt the same pride Heero felt when he overheard Relena going over things with her bodyguard. We'll get more from them in the next chapter. As far as Serena and Trowa, Serena still has some reservations about this new relationship she's just entered. But there's a part of her that wants this. Remember everything that you know up to this point when it comes to her! Trowa may be over the moon, hopefully, this ends well for him. But hey! He's got a girlfriend? *shrugs*

What I really want to talk about is these plans Une and Serena have been working on. Well, Une has a plan and Serena is just going along with things. So we've learned that Serena has indeed drawn up the blueprints for the MS's and her Gundam. That's what she's been working on... on the side. You'll have to wait to find out more about that. It also seems Serena knows way more than she should. Like the Aventinus. Which is not a name I came up with. It's from two friends' stories and it's a nod to them. Shoutout to you ladies, I love you guys! (There are a lot of nods to them in my story.)

I touched lightly on the topic of the ZERO system. I hope that part stuck out to you guys. Keep that information in the back of your mind. There's a reason the system to programmed to Serena and Serena alone. If Une wanted one of the other pilots to pilot her Gundam, Serena would need to in fact reprogram the system to accept a new pilot. But that's all I'll say on that one. You will see this topic come up more in later chapters, so it's just another piece of the puzzle.

Serena mentions a person she wants to be brought to HQ. Clearly, she's already formulating a plan or she wouldn't have requested to interrogate him. Hopefully, I'm dropping enough hints here. I try to without giving too much away. Other than that, what do you think is the last thing Une wanted to talk to Serena about? Well, you'll find out in the next chapter, on Friday. Coffee Doesn't Solve Everything.

(I hope someone at least laughed at the name of the damn secretary.)

Until then,
-MM