ttw9

Thicker than Water
nine


Night was falling steadily as I sat with her. She was looking lower than dirt and I couldn't bear to see someone that elemental so weak. Relena, the key to the future of the entire earth and colonies, sitting on the couch as if she couldn't do a damn thing for herself. Outside, the moon lifted its face hauntingly.

Miss Relena, I said, you shouldn't be so sad.

I'm always being rescued, Dorothy, she said, and I can never do anything right with the people. If I were any good at this, there wouldn't be a threat on my life.

I fought hard to keep myself from slamming my hand onto the counter behind which I was standing. You do understand that they want you dead because you're so important, don't you? You're all the people have, Miss Relena. You should be the happiest person alive.

Should be, I knew, but isn't. She's probably one of the saddest, most pitiful people ever known to walk the face of the earth.

It's not like this is a tragedy, someone else said, you aren't dead.

Someone else,

Jerking to the area where the voices came from, I gripped the counter hard and looked at Relena one more time. She was looking beyond me, her eyes wide and filled with terror. The last thing I felt then was a painful snap in the back of my neck, and landing on the floor. Oddly enough, I saw everything.

Four men were in the house, not even tripping the system, and they were all toting weapons. They wore fatigue pants and helmets; heavy boots thumping through the house. One of them came from the bedroom and started to grab at Relena, who just barely got out of his reach. Standing up for herself. If I weren't about to lose consciousness, I would have cheered for her, even helped. Not in this state, however.

Come on, honey, the man said, just come over here.

What are you trying to do? This wont get you anywhere, do you understand? Relena jerked away. Heero promised that he wouldn't hurt anyone ever again...ever...

We have to do this, sweetie, another sounded, cornering her against the wall. He closed his hand around her wrist and yanked her hard, knocking her against his thick Kevlar armor. So just give up.

I can't do that, she whispered, I can't give up.

The barrel a Glock pressed to her temple, and my entire body seemed to momentarily shut down. I even remember trying to get up, but it was no use. I was barred from the use of my muscles. I had to watch, silent, as Relena was forced to the cliff of inevitable death again. Tears streamed down my cheeks as the man holding the gun wrapped his finger around the trigger.

he laughed, sending the other men into a frenzy, although she didn't even flinch.

Take it easy!

Yet another man walked in, being the fifth man in the house so far. He was displaying authority over them, so I figured he was either a lieutenant or a captain. He stepped over me and pushed two of his subordinates out of the way. He took Relena's arm and pulled her out onto the balcony. Of course, she followed without a struggle.

He asked, What's going through your mind?

I'd like to ask you the same thing, she noted flatly, as he lifted her chin up. I was getting angrier and angrier--so unlike myself--every passing moment.

___

The swift cold of a combat knife clawed her neck before she could say any more. The captain's eyes weren't cold, like the others'. He really didn't want to do it, and she could tell. Still, he was going to go through with his mission.

For the good of our children's future.

I agree.

Pressure on the blade dropped, astoundingly, and the captain gulped hard. He hadn't expected her to make such an earth shattering comment in only two words. At the very moment of her death, even.

___

Heero tore through the gravel of the road in the rented Cherokee. Wufei braced himself against the dash, trying to load his handgun with Teflon-tipped bullets. He swore and hissed at his own fumbling fingers when he dropped the last one. He damned the magazine clip and the bullets and Heero's shoddy driving. Heero didn't cast him a glance as they made haste in the bitter, dusty Tennessee night.

To be continued...