by zapenstap
The colors in the world seemed to slide by in a blur as Relena focused on taking one step in front of the other, clutching a pair of sterling silver ribbons in her right hand like a weapon. Dorothy walked just behind her. Relena knew it was she without having to turn around, like an itch between her shoulder blades. She could also feel a certain tension and hesitating from the girl, but that did not surprise her; she had counted on it. Lifting her head high, Relena avoided the frosty gaze of Zechs and knew her own eyes were hardening. Walking did not seem so difficult; indeed, it was almost a relief. She was in control. She knew what was going to happen. She hoped she did. Surprising even Wufei, she suddenly smiled and flung out her left hand, waving joyously to the gathered crowd.
Stepping out into the open, Relena opened her mouth to speak.
"No, Miss Relena!" a voice said urgently behind her head.
A pair of hands tangled in her hair. Relena gasped, her own hands flailing. "Dorothy!"
Gunfire rang out. Relena felt the impact against her ribs almost in the after-effect. Mechanically, she dropped, letting her legs collapse beneath her. She did not have to try to hard, for the blow was hard enough to knock her off her feet anyway. Idly, she wondered at that, that such a small thing as a bullet could have so much power. Dorothy, hands still tangled in Relena's hair, fell heavily beside, both of them crashing like broken dolls onto the wooden stage.
"Miss Relena!" Noin screamed.
"She's been shot!" Sally roared.
Relena groaned. She reached out, twisting her body until she had Dorothy's hands in her own. They were both lying on their stomachs now, staring at each other in the eyes. Relena was composed, though her chest hurt. Dorothy looked simply wild, her blonde hair with its red streaks flying about her pale face in untamable wisps, her eyes wide, her mouth open. She stared at Relena and clutched her hands in a deathlike grip.
"You knew," Dorothy said in a whisper.
Relena nodded. "I knew. You were meant to move me into position, but I knew you would protect me."
Dorothy's eyes began to shimmer.
There were people surrounding them now, bending over to check her, to help her up. Relena pushed their hands away.. "It is all right, Noin, Sally," she wheezed. "I am okay."
Dusting her dress, Relena turned to see Dorothy lift her head from the wooden planks. Wonder of wonders, her face was tear streaked, her make-up smudged. She stared at Relena with blue eyes as large as quarters. She seemed to be trembling.
Noin leaned over her. "Miss Relena," she said. "I can see the hole in your dress."
Relena fingered the hole just by her sternum. "I'm wearing a bullet proof vest, Noin," she explained in a small whisper. She was a coward. One who could not be hurt could not be brave.
"You knew about the attack," Sally said in awe. "You fool. What if your head had been the target?"
Wufei ducked under the arms of the guards and knelt by Relena's side. He didn't say anything, merely looked her over and grunted sourly.
As Relena began to rise on amazingly steady legs, a shot rang out over the roar of the crowd.
"Nobody move! I have a hostage!"
Relena moved to peer out from between the bodies of the guards, but a gray cloaked figure got in her way.
"Don't reveal yourself, Relena," Zechs said. Relena nodded assent. Of course not. That really would be foolish.
"The hostage is Quatre," Wufei said in amazement. "That red-haired girl he was standing next to. She has a gun to his head."
Relena gasped. Not Quatre! Better her than him! "No," she said. "Noin?"
"That's Angela Moise," Noin exclaimed. "She joined your services recently, Miss Relena."
Dorothy hobbled toward them, her face a mess of smeared make-up, but her eyes cold and steady. "She was a loyalist to Treize and a veteran of the war," she said crisply. "But she didn't understand the Colonel. Her fighting skills are good, though they do not compare to that of the Gundam Pilots. However, it seems has the upper hand now."
Relena said nothing for several moments, unconsciously copying the blank stare she was used to seeing on Heero's face in times of danger and uncertainty. But she didn't think of Heero specifically; she was focused on containing the situation. "Why does she want to kill me, Dorothy?" She had put herself in danger to learn Dorothy's true intentions, to know if she could really trust her, and she was about to find out.
Dorothy jerked and then frowned at her. "I really am loyal to you, aren't I?" She sounded amused. "Sometimes I don't understand myself." She paused and looked downward, grimacing. Relena was silent, letting her reflect. When Dorothy raised her head again, she was completely calm, and real sincerity was in her voice. It was a pretty voice, with the sarcasm removed. "David Strongarm does not like that he is losing power under the new government," Dorothy began. "He does not think peace is very profitable or practical. As you are a symbol of the success of peace, he hoped to have you killed as a symbol of the failure, much like the assassination of Heero Yuy so many years ago. Angela is his hired tool, no personal connection. She has a violent past of killing her enemies in their beds, of injecting them with snake's venom and slipping other poisons into their drinks. She calls herself Red Viper and though she has a record, only underground networking can obtain her services. In exchange for killing you, she gets her own gundam, a new model designed for a woman to use. It is not as powerful as any of the gundams used during the war, but a bit quicker and also more accurate. She wants it because she wants it, not for any practical reason that I know. Strongman also made one for himself. He is not a bad pilot, very good actually. If Angela fails, he will come to kill you." Dorothy shook her head. "I am certain he has already gone to retrieve it. You are in terrible danger, Miss Relena. You should retreat."
"We have to save Quatre," Relena said firmly. "I'm not afraid of dying anymore now than I ever was."
Dorothy shrugged. "Red Viper has only failed in one mission so the rumors say, and she is not happy with the record. It would not be beyond her to simply shoot Quatre when you appear and then shoot you next, unless to save her own life."
Relena nodded. "I see." What was she to do? Her eyes caught sight of the scissors lying on the ground just behind her shoes. Could she?
Wufei snarled. "We're going to face a gundam? I regret destroying Nataku. Where is Heero?"
Zechs frowned. "The Wing Zero was recovered from the ocean and rebuilt to be put in display in a museum. It is not even complete. It would take hours to repair it to fighting condition."
Relena licked her lips. Heero could do that, he could fix it. If he had known, he would do it. But could he on time? She bent to pick up the scissors. She felt numb everywhere. Was this how Heero felt before he killed someone?
"Where is Heero?" Sally muttered. "Did he let you die? Because that's what would have happened if you hadn't...did you tell him?"
"No," Relena replied sadly. "Heero and I don't really talk anymore."
*****
Heero leaped into the cockpit of the Wing Zero and belted himself in in one fluid motion. It made him angry. He was supposed to be through with this! Even so, the controllers felt familiar in his hands, down to the various niches in the plastic under his fingers. Without any change in expression, he started up the engines, glad he had been able to find the necessary fuel.
Even so, he had not finished the repairs in time. He could not have finished in time. Didn't matter. He was to blame.
If Relena was dead... was there any reason she shouldn't be? He might as well face facts; no use obscuring the situation. Relena was dead and he had promised to protect her. He had promised!
But he would avenge her.
And then self detonate.
"I'll get you, Red Viper," he snarled. Ice was in his face and eyes, but he could not believe his own fury.
*****
Duo pushed through the crowd, shouldering people out of his way as he drew a heavy black gun from its hiding place in his clothing. Most people were running, yelling as they fell back away from the woman who had a gun pressed to the temple of a young man with blonde hair and big blue eyes. In moments, the crowd had completely dispersed, leaving only the Preventors standing on the stage, the Gundam Pilots, and Relena's would-be assassin.
The assassin girl's glittering eyes caught Duo before he moved two paces. Her blood-red lips curved in a smile, contrasting oddly with her freckles. She had one arm wrapped around Quatre's chest, pinning his arms to his sides. Her other arm was holding a gun pressed up tight against Quatre's head, held firm against his blonde hair. Quatre was sweating and his eyes were wide, but he did not look panicked. Of course not; he was a Gundam Pilot.
The woman's eyes did not flicker away from Duo. "Don't take another step, gundam pilot. I know you and you don't know me. I am Angela Moise, also called Red Viper, and I will kill him if you move another step. Drop the gun."
Duo swallowed and let his arms fall to his sides. Behind her head, he could make out Trowa, moving like a cat toward Angela. He did not have a weapon, but Trowa would not need one.
Duo gave his most nonchalant smile and shrugged his shoulders. The gun clattered to the ground. "Whatever you say, lady. Just don't hurt my friend."
She smirked. "Kick it toward me."
Duo grimaced but kicked it toward her. Couldn't Trowa move any faster? Well, he supposed stealth was more important, but he would have bet he could do it better. He was a master of stealth!
Angela laughed. "Thank you. Now tell your friend behind me to freeze in his tracks. I've been watching him since we arrived."
Duo cursed and Trowa froze, rising slowly to his feet. "Why are you doing this?" he said in a quiet voice.
Angela shook her head, red curls flying. "Because I want a gundam. As a toy, as a collectors item, as something I can sell or use as a bargaining chip if I ever get into trouble. Why I do anything is none of your concern. You want your friend to live? Bring Relena down here. You can't claim she's any friend of yours, whatever political help she was in the past. Bring her down and we will trade."
Duo swallowed heavily. So Relena was still alive. Clever girl, but not clever enough. He couldn't really do what this snake girl suggested, though; Heero would kill him. He opened his mouth to stall, but he was interrupted.
"I am here, Viper!" a woman's voice rang out suddenly across the plaza. Duo jumped, startled.
Angela's lips twisted again. "I hear you, Miss Darilan, but I can't see you. Come down so we can talk face to face."
"Release Quatre first!" Relena cried from behind her shield of Preventors.
Angela cackled. "Not a chance. I'm already surrounded by pretty young boys who want to kill me. Don't worry. I can hardly kill you now and expect to escape with my life. You just come out and I will take you away instead of Quatre. Nobody will shoot me if they think they can still save you."
Silence.
"Agreed." Relena's voice did not sound small or frightened. She was certain, calm. Duo stared in her direction. Idiot! "I am coming down."
"No, Relena!" Zechs and Noin cried together. There seemed to be a small scuffle on the platform.
"This is idiocy, representative," somebody exclaimed.
"Relena, you can't think of actually going down there," Sally protested.
"Miss Relena, please." Dorothy Catelonia?
"Why can I not make choices about my own life?" Relena demanded. "Release me! You would not let me go after Heero when he needed help at the end of the war. Let me do what I can for Quatre now!"
With much pushing and shoving, a small female figure emerged from the crowd. Even in a short dress with a small hole in it and a dirt-streaked face she looked like a princess. The stupid girl was going to get herself killed!
Duo exchanged looks with Trowa and he nodded.
Angela smirked at both of them before calling out. "Come on down, Miss Darilan. I want to see you put the gun to your own head before I let this one go." She gave Quatre a squeeze and whispered into his ear. "Didn't I tell you this would go off with a bang?" His eyes rolled toward her face, but he said nothing. He looked particularly helpless in a suit. Maybe Heero was right in that this wasn't something worth coming to see. He was glad he had left Hilde behind. He did not want to see any more people die and he definitely didn't want her to see it.
Duo licked his lips. If Angela got a hold of Relena, she would
walk out of here and kill Relena somewhere else. The only hope of
catching her was if the gun went off and killed Relena before Angela got
her away. Looking into Relena's eyes, Duo almost groaned.
He had seen that look in Heero's eyes. Relena would let Angela kill
her in order to catch her.
*****
Coran rounded the corner at a leisurely pace and stopped just out of sight, leaning against the wall. Seemed Red Viper was being clever after all.
Five people stood in the middle of the plaza, forming a sort of square. Red Viper held the captive Quatre Winner tightly to her chest. From where Coran stood, he didn't look so much a Gundam Pilot. Two of the other people on the plaza were Trowa Barton and Duo Maxwell, standing stock still on either side of Angela, way too far away to touch her. The last person in the square was the figure of a straight-backed girl in a short-skirted dress and a business coat, her hair blonde-brown hair hanging loose and wild to her set shoulders. She looked both young and old at the same time, but the message in her eyes was one of sheer will power. Her face was expressionless, completely reserved, entirely determined. Relena. At first glance, he might have said she was the one in control, but the gun Red Viper had planted against Quatre's head was enough to refute that.
Shockingly, Relena moved forward with the grace of a princess until she stood just beside Angela. Nothing in her face change as she reached out to firmly push Quatre out of the way. He stumbled backward, tripping and landing heavily on the ground. Only the corners of Relena's eyes tightened as Angela seized her and pulled her in the way she had Quatre before, the gun held steadily against her head.
Coran sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. Well, this was not totally in the plan, but it might turn out all right anyway. Too bad Felicia hadn't come to see it. At the last minute she had decided to stay behind and finish setting up, pleading for him to go ahead of her. She really was fickle, changeable as the weather. He reached for his communicator, a device little more advanced than a walkie-talkie, and prepared to relay the scene to her.
But then something happened that left him speechless.
Quick as the snake Red Viper claimed to be, Relena suddenly twisted, squirming in Angela's grip. Coran's eyebrows shot up as a pair of scissors appeared in her hand, drawn from her coat sleeve. How had he missed that? With just a little maneuvering of her arm, Relena plunged the scissors into Angela's leg. Or she tried to. From his vantage point, she missed. The scissors still drew blood, slicing across the outside of Angela's thigh, but then they slipped, falling from Relena's hand and clattering to the ground next to a black gun.
"You bitch!" Angela shrieked, fury twisting her features into a monster's mask as she spat savagely. Her finger tightened on the trigger of the gun and Relena closed her eyes.
Suddenly, something appeared in the sky. A large fighter plane tilted toward the plaza, plunging downward like a rocket.
Angela's eyes widened in pure fear and the gun dropped from her hand.
"It's a gundam!" someone shouted in alarm.
Coran recognized the Wing Zero.
Throwing Relena away from her, Angela turned on her heel and ran, disappearing into a dark alleyway. Coran fumbled with his communicator. Relena still lay on the ground, paralyzed it seemed. Quatre was bending over her as the Preventors rushed down from the stage, shouting and waving their arms. Gunshots fired toward the alleyway where Angela had disappeared, shot by Wufei. But Angela was long out of range of a simple shotgun.
But not a gundam.
Just as Coran was about to cheer at least in his head, another gundam rose up above the estate building, its golden eyes flashing. Except for the coloring, it seemed to be a similar model to the Wing Gundam. Coran's cheer changed into a curse that escaped his lips. He recognized David Strongarm's gundam sure enough, the Apocalypse.
It seemed like Angela was going to escape without completing her mission.
It also seemed there would be a battle.
Coran pressed the transmit button on his communicator. "There's a snake headed your way, babe," he said soberly "and there's going to be a little scuffle here."
"Roger that," Felicia responded with an air of sunshine.