Lisa replied to the e-mail. After a volley of correspondence and a phone call, arraignments were made with a man called Zechs for the exchange. Sally and Noin, AKA Sandy and Lucy, helped her every step of the way.
"Don't worry," encouraged Noin. "If any thing goes wrong, our inside man will signal and we will come in immediately," she assured as they prepared to send Lisa into the rendezvous point.
They had provided Lisa with a chevalier vest under her shirt just in case. Sally was not taking any chances she did not have to take with this mission. She had her men spread around the perimeter in a loose circle and out of sight, ready to move in when needed. She was in constant communication to their headquarters so the other teams would not move in too soon and alert Romefeller that something was up.
Lisa approached the identified building as directed, by bike. She glanced around, fear sat in the pit of her stomach like a led weight. She swallowed hard and forced her feet to take her forward after parking the bike. She pushed the door open and entered.
"Welcome!" boomed a deep voice from in front of her as light flooded into the room.
She froze and blinked a few times until her eyes became adjusted to the new light level. Hands captured her arm on either side and propelled her forward.
Handcuffed to a chair in the center of the room was Hilde. Relena tried to get to her friend's side, but was stopped. A tall pale blond haired man wearing a silver mask and red uniform coat stepped out from his hiding place. Lisa thought he looked similar to her brother.
"Do you have the item with you?" he asked.
Lisa held her locket up by the chain before her. The man in the red uniform approached and held out his hand for the locket. Lisa released the chain and let it drop into the awaiting extended hand.
Zechs examined the locket before opening it. He glanced at the pictures.
"Your family," he stated.
She nodded as she watched him handle her most prized possession. He carried it over to the table where another man was sitting with computer equipment. Zechs used a pair of tweezers to pull up one of the pictures and pulled out the information disk. He handed it to the other man who started processing the information.
"It's there," verified the computer tech after some time of deciphering.
Zechs nodded. He turned and started to release Hilde as had been the agreement.
"Sir, we have a communication from H.Q. They want to talk to you," said the tech.
Zechs stood slipping his hands into his pockets as he smoothly glided over to the table.
"Sir," Zechs said to the screen.
"The data is secure?" asked the man on the other end.
"Yes, sir," Zechs answered.
"Then get rid of the girls," he ordered.
"I will take care of it," Zechs said.
He disconnected and pulled his gun on Lisa before she could bolt. He waved her to join Hilde with his gun.
"Over there," he coldly ordered.
~@~
"Move in NOW!" called Heero over the communication system as he received the signal from their inside man.
The soldiers surrounding the building moved in. Sally directed the troop movements from her position with Heero. First the guards were silently taken out before entering the building.
~@~
Zechs tossed Lisa the keys and ordered her to release Hilde. She did as told, trying to buy herself time until aid came. He then ordered them against a wall behind a steel beam as he leveled the gun squarely at Lisa's chest. She only hoped the vest worked.
A commotion could be hear from outside the room before soldiers started pouring in through various doors.
"Every one freeze!" came Noin's command before shots were fired.
Men dodged for cover. Noin saw Zechs slightly turned toward her with gun pointed at some one. From her shelter, she called for him to surrender and shot when he fired first at where he was aiming and then at Noin. Lisa was shocked to feel nothing from the bullet that surely had to have hit her. She looked down her front and found no evidence that Zechs had hit his mark.
Meanwhile, Zechs looked down and watched crimson liquid darken his already red coat before falling to the floor in a pile draped with long golden strands of hair. With their commanding officer down, the rest soon surrendered.
Noin ordered those captured removed from the building and the building searched for others. Wide eyed Lisa and Hilde cautiously came out from behind the beam as they watched what happened around them. Noin motioned them to her side.
"The building has been searched and secured. We found two more men," the soldier reported to Noin.
"How many total?" she asked.
"Twelve," he informed.
"Alright, move on," she said.
"What about him?" asked the man as he pointed to the fallen enemy behind her.
"Leave him for now," she ordered.
He nodded and went on his way.
Noin contacted Sally. Sally and Heero entered with Lisa's friends close on their heels. Duo rushed in and caught Lisa up in a thankful embrace before surrendering her to Cathy for a repeat performance.
Sally gave some orders and soon the only ones left were Noin, Sally, Heero, Lisa and her friends, as well as, the fallen Zechs.
While the circus performers made sure Lisa was alright, Hilde let out a scream and pointed behind the group. Zechs was standing up. The group gasped and watched as he holstered is gun and brought his hands to his mask. He removed the sliver helmet and ran his fingers through his bangs to settle them in place before looking at the small shocked group and smiling.
There was a gasp from the group a split second before Lisa through herself in his direction calling, "Milliardo!"
He held her at arm's length, stopping her from embracing him.
"You'll get the fake blood on you," he explained at the hurt and confused look on her face.
She glanced down as his stained jacket and nodded understanding.
"I believe this belongs to you," he said as he released her and held out her locket.
Tears of joy teetered on the edge of her eyes as she secured it around her neck once more.
"Treize's special medics should be here any time now," Sally pointed out.
As if on cue, two medics entered followed by Treize himself.
"I thought you would be directing the other operations!" said Milliardo surprised.
"Lady Une is taking care of that," he reassured. "I wanted to make sure my favorite pupil survived being shot by his fiancée."
Lisa's eyes widened in surprise then she slugged her brother in the shoulder.
"You didn't tell me you were engaged!" she declared slightly ticked.
Milliardo rubbed the spot of impact. Noin laughed while Treize smiled amused.
"It wasn't something we were going to announce until after this operation was finished, but some people like to cause trouble," he growled looking at his friend and mentor.
"Well, it is time for Zechs to play his final roll," Treize said.
Milliardo replaced his helmet on his head and laid down on the stretcher the medics had brought in. They covered him with a sheet and made sure some of his hair dangled down the side of the stretcher before wheeling him out to the awaiting ambulance.
Noin and Sally took Lisa, Hilde, Duo, Trowa, Cathy, and Wufei back to the circus. As the group got out of the vehicle, Noin stopped Lisa and promised she and Milliardo would be by latter to visit once they got things settled with work.
Lisa waved to them as they pulled off before turning to her friends once again.
"Thanks," she said.
"For what?" asked Cathy.
"For being there," said Lisa before she gave each of them a hug.
Jeff came out of the traitor as they approached. He was glad that they were safe and let them know it. He was soon joined by Robert and Beth.
"Do your parents know you are safe?" Beth asked Hilde around the commotion.
"I don't know," Hilde honestly replied. "With everything going on, I had not thought about it," she admitted.
The others felt bad for not thinking of it as well.
"Come on, dear," said Beth to Hilde as she extended a hand to her, "I'll take you to a phone you can use to call them. I bet they are worried sick."
Hilde knew Beth was right and hurried away to make the call.
Hilde punched in her phone number. After one ring the receiver on the other end was snatched up.
"Hello," answered her worried sounding mother.
"Mom," said Hilde.
"Hilde, darling! Are you alright? Where are you? Where have you been?" blurted out her mother as her father picked up another phone.
"Hilde? What happened?" he asked at the same time her mother was firing off her barrage of questions.
Hilde could hear fear, worry, and relief mixed together in her parents' voices.
"If you give me a moment, I will answer your questions," butted in Hilde.
They both promised to let her talk.
"First off, I am fine. As for what happened… maybe that would be best explained once you get here," Hilde suggested. "It is a long story, but the short of it is that everything is fine now."
Hilde checked with Beth as to where they were located so she could tell her parents.
Hilde hung up the phone after a very long conversation and planing session. She made her way back to find Lisa and her friends.
"How did it go?" asked Lisa as she looked up at her friend's return.
"They took it well," Hilde smiled. "They were relieved to know everything is O.K. They plan on leaving tonight and making it here by tomorrow afternoon/evening sometime."
"So you don't get to stay long?" asked Lisa disappointedly.
"Nooo," sighed Hilde as she plopped down in a spot made for her between Lisa and Trowa.
"It would have been cool if you could stay for a while," said Lisa.
"Maybe after school is out," said Hilde
~@~
There was a knock at the Barton trailer door. When Lisa opened the door, she found Milliardo and Noin. Lisa illuminated at their return.
"We thought we would take you out for dinner," said Noin smiling.
"There is a performance tonight," were the first word out of her mouth.
"I think you can miss it for tonight," said Jeff as he came up behind her and asked the pair on his doorstep in.
They entered and had a seat on the couch. Milliardo's eyes quickly darted around his sister's refuge without a word. Lisa made introductions. Jeff already knew Noin so it was mostly Jeff to her brother. There was a under layer of tension in the room as big brother and surrogate father took the other's measure. It was not that they questioned the right of the other's claim on Lisa's life, but that they both wanted what was best for her. For Jeff, he knew she would most probably be moving on and he wanted her to be well cared for. For Milliardo, this is who had been protecting and caring for his sister in his place. The tension faded as they each accepted the other.
Duo burst through the trailer door with braid flopping behind him.
"Hey, Lisa, you coming? We need to get ready for the performance," he inquired before he registered that Noin and Milliardo were in the room.
"She won't be performing tonight," Jeff informed him.
"Oh. Well, I guess I will make other arraignments," Duo said. "Nice to see both of you again," he said to Milliardo and Noin before taking his leave.
~@~
Noin, Milliardo, and Lisa walked through the circus to where they had parked. Lisa glanced over at her brother. His hair was pulled back and secured at shoulder level. The shorter strands had escaped from the rest and whipped around his face in the wind.
"Aren't you afraid someone might recognize you as Zechs?" Lisa asked remembering she had noted the similarities between the two.
Milliardo smiled ruefully before answering.
"The Zechs they know was bald under the mask and grossly deformed by an accident in his youth. He hid behind the mask and hair not only because it hid his abnormalities, but aided in producing an air of authority and distinctiveness."
Lisa took in her brother's explanation.
"You know, we both have lives the other knows virtually nothing about."
Milliardo chuckled and agreed with her as he opened the car door for Noin.
~@~
The trio spent the evening caching up on each other's lives, both their original persona and their second identities. They talked late into the night, and Lisa enjoyed getting to know her future sister-in-law.
"What do you plan on doing now?" asked Noin.
"I really don't know," admitted Lisa. "I always knew the day I would be free would come, but have not been sure what I would do. I love living at the circus. The Barton's took me in when I needed someplace to go, and they have become family to me. Yet, I am unsure if I want to work at the circus all my life. When I met with Hilde several months ago, she mentioned college and got me thinking. It might be nice to go. I think I would like to become a therapist and help others, especially those who are victims of abuse. However, college takes more money than I have. Maybe scholarships or loans…" Lisa shrugged her shoulders indicating she was at a loss for what she would do.
"You have a trust fund set up by Mom and Dad specifically to pay for college," Milliardo informed her. "I came across the information when I was doing research trying to get custody of you. With a few scholarships and it, you could probably swing it. I would always help you out where I can," he offered.
Lisa smiled at his offer.
"I think you should give it a try," he encouraged with Noin's agreement. "Think about it," he concluded before they moved onto other topics like his and Noin's wedding.
~@~
Lisa slept into the morning after her late night out. When she finally awoke, she made her way to find Duo for practice. She found him, Hilde and her friends practicing in the tent.
"Look at me!" called Hilde as she made her way across one of the practice ropes.
"Looks like you have taken to that like a fish to water," observed Lisa.
"That she has," laughed Duo. "We started practicing and before we knew it, Hilde here had joined in for the fun of it," Duo playfully rolled his eyes.
Hilde dismounted and the group continued perfecting their skills.
After practice they showed Hilde around and introduced her to the other performers and the animals. Hilde was in her element. Each new thing excited her more.
Come evening the manager escorted her newly arrived Schberkers to the Barton home. As soon as they saw their daughter, she was sandwiched between them in a joyful embrace.
"I'm alright," insisted Hilde. "Would you please loosen your grip so I can breath."
Her parents pulled away. Her mother sniffled and dabbed moisture from her eyes.
"What happened?" asked her mother.
"Well you had better sit down, Mr. and Mrs. Schberker," said Lisa as she directed them to the couch.
They both did a double take of Lisa.
"Relena???" questioned Mrs. Schberker waveringly. "Is that you?"
"Yes," Lisa replied.
"What is going on?" demanded Hilde's father.
"We are going to tell you," promised Hilde.
Lisa and Trowa pulled up a couple more chairs from the kitchen as every one settled down for the upcoming tale.
Lisa started the narrative from her disappearance and adoption into the circus only telling them what they needed to know. Hilde finished with sharing her story from kidnapping to rescue. They told the Schberkers what they could and hid behind the fact that it was classified and they could not tell them for some of the details, like Zechs was Lisa's brother.
Sally and Noin had stopped by earlier in the day to inform the group of the operations success and the total takedown of the two groups. Wufei found the news very satisfying. Justice had been served. They also reemphasized that fact that most of what they knew could go no farther than their small group.
When Lisa and Hilde finished the story, Hilde's parents sat there with looks of disbelief on their faces. Once the shock wore off, they were full of questions. Jeff gave the kids a break by informing them that Beth had invited everyone over for an early dinner if they were interested.
Once everyone was involved in the cozy dinner setting, the recent ordeal was soon put out of their minds and replaced with good food and conversation. Afterwards they provided Hilde and parents with seats for the night's performance.
Hilde opted to stay the night with Lisa while her parents got a hotel room in town. That night the three girls stayed up late into the night talking. After giving up that the girls would ever stop chattering, Duo joined them with Trowa in tow. Come morning, Jeff found all five of them out cold on the girls' floor.
~@~
Lisa had said her farewells to her brother and Noin the night before and now she was seeing Hilde and her parents off after breakfast.
"Take care," Lisa whispered while embracing her friend.
Lisa could feel the tears start to form in her eyes.
"I'll keep in contact," she promised, "and I definitely want to visit this summer."
The girls pulled back from each other, and Hilde got in the car. Lisa waved as they pulled away. Her friends came up behind her lending her their support as the car moved down the road. Duo snaked his arm around Lisa's waist and pulled her to his side in a brotherly hug of support. She leaned her head on his shoulder appreciatively.
After the car disappeared from sight, Lisa turned to her friends and smiled at each one of them.
"Time to get back to work!" she stated with a clap of her hands.
The group started talking as they migrated to the tent to revert to their normal daily routine.
