This has been sitting on my disk for a week or so, but because of the ff.net problem I couldn't get it out earlier. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review, I NEED feedback. That said, on with the show, er… fanfic.
There's No Such Thing As a Happy Ending
(still a working title, tell me what u think)
"Ms. Cadilonia, …"
"Ms. Cadilonia, can you…"
"Will there be any…."
"MS. CADILONIA…"
Dorothy darted into the large black limo, grateful to have escaped the barrage of questions. As soon as the vehicle was out of photo range from the crowd, she allowed the composed, diplomatic facade to drop, causing her fatigue and weariness to become visible.
The ride back to the Cinq Kingdom palace was mercifully short. Any longer and the soft rocking motion of the car would have lulled the blond to sleep, and she couldn't walk into Une's meeting looking tired and mussed. 'Appearances are everything when one is a public figure, and we must keep them up to ensure that the masses do not become any more panicked then they already are. Of course, the general feel of tension is understandable - a day and a half ago, the single, most influential human being in existence was ripped from her people, and the first military threat in three years became known. The future seems to have lost all of the brilliant hope and happiness that it once possessed.' With a sigh, she yet again donned the mask of grace and confidence, and prepared to give still another political performance. 'Just how Ms. Relena put up with all of this crap is beyond me.'
*~*~*~*
Wufei massaged his temples, and tried for the hundredth time to get comfortable on the impossibly hard wooden chair he was sitting in. A quick glance at his partner revealed that she was having no more luck with the furniture than he was. After allowing his gaze to hover there for a fleeting moment, he then focused his attention on the group of dignitaries that sat in the audience rows of the palace lecture hall. 'I hate public speaking.'
"When are we gonna get this meeting started? We have better things to do than sit here and stare at the décor."
Sally had to stifle a laugh at the annoyed outburst from one of the representatives.
The Colonel, on the other hand, was much less amused. However, she was forced to swallow her anger and use much milder words than her strained resolve demanded. "The meeting will commence once Ms. Cadilonia arrives. Until then, I guess you'll just have to sit back and admire the color scheme.
Sarcasm was a rare thing from the former OZ soldier, and when it did pop up, it always signaled a very bad mood. The audience of course did not know this, and taking her words as an attempt at humor, politely chuckled.
Another agonizing two minutes and eleven seconds passed before Dorothy paraded onto the stage, joining Une and the pair of Preventers. "My apologies for being late, the press conference lasted longer then I predicted."
Choosing to ignore the excuse, Une motioned for her to have a seat in one of the afore-mentioned chairs from hell. In a commanding voice, she made a short speech, stating that the purpose of this meeting was to inform the respective leaders of the various colonies and terrestrial sectors of the events at hand, both militarily and politically. That said, she asked the Chang-Poe team to take the mic and give their report.
Sally stepped up to the podium, while Wufei stood behind and a little to her left. "I am sure that we are all quite aware of the details surrounding that faithful night a day and a half ago. The events of March 15 have placed the Preventers in a position that is far form desirable - and that is the role of God. My organization is left with two jobs. One - to uncover and destroy the group responsible for the attacks, and two - to locate and retrieve Vice Foreign Minister Relena Dorlin. Unfortunately, the immensity of these tasks has forced us to prioritize, and naturally the elimination of a major threat must come before the safety of a single individual. We launched an initial search of the surrounding area for Ms. Dorlin twelve hours after the attack, but as we came back with nothing, we have to assume that she is in the possession of our enemies. All of our attentions are now focused on the neutralization of the terrorist threat, as they rightfully should be."
Nobody could have ever guessed from the decisive tone of Sally's voice, that being forced to say that they had given up all hope of finding her friend was shredding her to pieces. They would never know that when she was alone at her desk, she would push the files aside for a moment and just cry. When she carried that badge, she was a Preventer - calculating and unfeeling, but under the armor, she was human too.
After the ex-soldier had said her piece, Une asked Ms. Cadilonia to step up.
"Like you, I am a politician. And, like you, I am very much aware of the fact that to be a successful political figure, one must not only have good intentions for the people, but also know how to manipulate them into seeing your views. I know that statement sounds cruel and harsh, but in your hearts every one of you knows it's true. If you hadn't realized that by now, then you wouldn't be seated here today. The fact stands that although a single person is smart, people are dumb, panicky animals* and therefore need select individuals to ensure their welfare. While the protection of peace has been a group effort involving everyone in this room, the public needed a hero to focus on and follow. It doesn't take too much intelligence to realize that Ms. Relena was that hero. Now, the embodiment of Peace has been snatched away in the first offensive military action in the three years since Marie Maya's coup de'tat. This understandably leaves the public thinking that peace itself was taken with her. While the Preventers battle on the physical front, we - the leaders of the people- must battle on the psychological front and reassure the masses that although Ms. Relena is gone, her ideals of harmony and understanding are all but dead."
The words were neither kind nor beautiful, but then again, most truths aren't.
A brief question and answer segment followed the speeches, and then the informal assembly adjourned.
*~*~*~*
Three silent figures stood in the shadows of a balcony that over looked the stage. Nobody but Une, who had requested their presence, and the two Preventers knew that they had observed the meeting. After the representatives had filed out, and Dorothy had departed to the upper offices of the palace, they descended onto the stage.
"Well, that was a boat load of fun."
"You didn't come here to be entertained, Duo. You came to assist the Preventers." Lady Une didn't even try to hide the irritation in her voice.
"Ok, point taken, but before we get orders, answer one thing for me - was Dorothy always such a tight-ass? I mean that whole 'people are dumb' spiel really got on my nerves."
"Regardless of weather or not we personally agree with her methods, she's doing an effective job of keeping the public from panicking," the Colonel defended.
"Yea, by means of opium."
"You are here, Mr. Maxwell, to aid the Preventers in combating the threat and finding Dorlin, not to oversee public relations."
"Whatever."
"Anyways," Une continued, turning to face the remainder of Team Alpha, consisting of Heero, Trowa, Wufei, and Sally. "If you would be so kind as to follow me into the back room, I'll show you what we have so far."
The five followed her into a large room that was located behind the back of the stage, in which a large table and six chairs were set up. To Wufei and Sally's delight, the chairs actually had padding. After everyone had been seated, Lady Une began.
"We have had some of the best computer experts known (all eyes turned to the stoic Japanese pilot) searching for any files or databases that could be linked to the terrorist threat. Unfortunately, it appears that we are dealing with some highly trained enemies. Absolutely no trace of them was found, indicating that they have invented some other means of communication that is unknown to us. Also, they weaponry that was taken off the captured individuals was of a new hybrid of steel and gundanium, which is how they were able to get them through metal detecting security check points. All of this shows that the group had been planning their strike for a very long time, and are probably ready to hit again."
A few minutes of silent contemplation followed, broken by Trowa's calm voice. "It's my understanding that the agents that opened fire at the banquet were taken alive. Did they give us any info under interrogation."
"Unfortunately no. As soon as they were left alone in hospital rooms to recover from the gunshot wounds, every single one of them committed suicide by hanging themselves with electrical cords."
It was Heero's turn to comment, "So whatever fucked up cause these people think they are supporting, they are willing to die for it."
"Sounds a lot like how you boys were back in the Eve Wars," Sally remarked, a slight frown of remembrance marring her features.
"Yea, but I'd like to think our reasons for fighting were a little less 'fucked up', as Heero so kindly put it," Duo said with a nervous chuckle.
Another silence fell over the gathering, but this time each soldier was looking inside themself, and trying to find justification for the blood that they had spilt. Wufei was the first to regain his resolve, and did his best to help dispel his comrades' doubts by voicing his conclusion. "Our path was righteous, and I'm not sorry for what we did." The firmness and conviction in his voice gave strength to the simple statement, making it drown the uncertainties that nagged all their souls.
Une shook herself from her private memories, and continued. "We have no leads, absolutely no clue on how to start, and the threat has made no attempt to contact us for ransom or demands. I was hoping to get some ideas from you guys, seeing as how you're the best there is and all."
"Do we have anything working to our advantage?" The worry was thick in Sally's voice.
"Actually yes, Mr. Winner has given us full access to any supplies or financial aid that his company might provide."
"Speaking of Q-man, why isn't he here? We could've had a gundam reunion or something," Duo asked, attempting to inject his trademark humor.
"It wouldn't look right if the head of the largest anti-weaponry company in existence, suddenly took up arms to fight terrorists. Ex pilot or no, he is one of the leading advocators of peace," Trowa offered.
"His company also is a major producer of raw metals. We could ask him if any of his clients ever ordered a large shipment of steel and gundanium." Sally suggested.
"Already been done, there were no outstanding orders of any kind in the past three years."
"Hmm."
The meeting continued on for hours, while the attendants tried to come up with an effective plan.
*~*~*~*
Yet again, the unwelcome light forced it's way into her battered psyche. Relena attempted to move her hand in front of her eyes, but found that her arm was just too heavy to lift. Sighing, she slid open her lids and was met with rays of shimmering sun filtering through the trees. In any other circumstance she would have taken a moment to admire the way that the light seemed to be tangible ribbons of gold, and how under it's caress, nature had assumed an ethereal glow. But, it just so happened that she was in a lot of pain at that particular moment, and just wanted to crawl back into sweet sleep.
After ten minutes of lying motionless, it became apparent that she was going to have to bear consciousness for a while. 'Might as well try to haul myself up and see if I can get out of here.' With new-found determination, Relena planted her hands on either side of her torso and attempted to raise herself off her stomach and onto her knees. It took a few tries but she finally succeeded. She then grabbed a nearby branch and used it to pull herself up onto wobbly feet. Deciding that going shoeless would be better than trying to walk on spike heels, she kicked off the little white torture chambers. Looking down, she caught sight of the red stains that flowed along the front of her gown. 'Blood. His blood.' Her hands were covered in it too. 'I need to find somewhere to wash this stuff off.' Mission in mind, she slowly set out.
*That was a quote that I heard in Men In Black and I thought it fit Dorothy perfectly.
