Duo, Wufei and Hilde stood at the Jeep rental place just a mile away from the Aucuon Desert. Hilde was presently pulling Duo around the market place, picking up various things for their trek across the desert to Quatre's place. She'd, of course, ran into a shop where she could buy a sari, and spent some of the money Wufei had given her and Duo for provisions and water on the most beautiful royal blue sari that the woman had. Duo thought that it was a pretty good purchase but wasn't sure that Wufei would be as amused. Wufei was presently bartering with the man at the Jeep rental place to give him a better price on a Range Rover; the man was currently declining all of Wufei's offers, which annoyed the already agitated Chinese to no end.
When he finally got the keys to the Range Rover (for only fifty dollars off the regular rental price after an hour of bartering) and found Duo and Hilde shopping for other things than provisions, all three finally set out to the middle of the Aucuon desert towards Quatre's personal oasis.
"I should have brought some sunscreen. What person in their right mind would live out in the desert?" Duo asked, wiping some sweat from his brow.
"That's why I bought this, I'm rather cool in this linen." Hilde said from the backseat of the Range Rover.
"Quatre is the baka who decided to move all the way out in the middle of nowhere." Wufei said, pushing his sunglasses higher on his nose and snorting.
"It's amazing that he can find his way without a compass. There's nothing for miles but sand dunes out here." Duo remarked.
"Well, he is the Desert Prince… I guess he's returned home to his natural habitat." Hilde quipped. The sound of Wufei's cell phone ringing stopped the chatter and Wufei quickly answered it.
"Wufei Chang." The Chinese man said into the phone.
"Wufei, she's taken over Preventer Headquarters. We've been completely ambushed and they've started to take the students and some of the soldiers into camps." Sally screamed over the sound of chaos and wreckage behind her voice.
"Don't tell her where I am. If she asks, go with the plan that we came up with. We cannot let her know where Relena is, and when you're finished, get rid of my cell phone number. Please, Sally, be strong." Wufei said, stopping the Range Rover in the middle of a sand dune. Duo and Hilde looked to one another then to the worry that was evident on Wufei's face.
"I'm going to stay here instead of evacuating; some of the soldiers are in need of medical assistance, I just can't leave them." She screamed. The sound of her call was breaking up quickly. Wufei's breath was quickening, but he tried to hide his worry from Duo and Hilde. He swallowed his emotions and turned on his soldier mode.
"Sally, we will be there. I promise. You just have to hold on, give us time."
"I…w-ill." The connection was ended and Wufei slowly took his phone from his ear. He slammed the small gadget against the steering wheel of the vehicle and cursed the heavens. Duo grabbed his arm forcefully, making him take control of himself.
"She'll be okay, Wufei. Sally is a damned good soldier. Right now, we need to focus on getting to Quatre's." Duo said as he got behind the wheel to drive and allow Wufei to compose himself.
****
The sand felt like sharp shards of glass as the wind blew it into Heero's face. He looked over in envy at Relena and Roddy's facial covers' wondering why he hadn't thought about getting a headdress. Instead he was left to suffer with chapped lips, slightly sunburned skin, and fairly burned retinas. They'd been walking through the desert for almost three hours and hadn't happened upon any signs of life. How could Quatre live like this? This was a question that was flowing through Heero's mind. The dangers and the excitement of the desert were easy enough to understand. Even the familiarity of home was reasonable, but the desolation from people, something that Quatre loved heartily, was what didn't fit. Why would he want to be secluded away from civilization? It was as if he was shunning the world away.
"Heero!" Relena shouted alerting him back to reality. He turned and squinted at her.
"I see something, in the distance over there." She pointed to a faint dark black dot. Heero turned back around and put a hand over his eyes to shade them from the sun, in hopes of seeing the figure clearly. The image was wavering like waves on a clear, blue sea or a gaseous substance being burned.
"Are you sure that's not a mirage; we are in the desert after all," Roddy spoke from behind them both.
"A mirage would have disappeared by now, that's an oasis." Heero said matter-of-factly and spurred his camel onward. Following suit, the two ladies spurred their camels and they rode as fast as the pachyderms could run.
Now that they were closing in on Quatre's house, it was getting in that was the problem. Quatre lived in an oasis, but the area was completely surrounded by a large, brick barrier and two Maguanacs stood guard out front.
Slowing his camel to a trot, Heero rode onwards towards the palace and stopped directly in front of the front entrance. The Maguanacs were obviously new because they did not recognize Heero at all.
"Who goes there?" one of the men asked.
"I'm Heero Yuy, I must see Quatre." Heero said, turning to see that Relena and Roddy had finally caught up with him and were dismounting their camels.
"He doesn't want visitors." A guard said stoically.
"I'm not a visitor, I'm an old friend." Heero tried to reason calmly, his monotone grumbling deeper.
"You don't live here, correct?" asked one of the guards. Heero narrowed his eyes and shook his head.
"Exactly, so that makes you a guest," the guard quipped. Heero, moving with cat-like precision, punched on guard, knocking him out and put the other in a chokehold.
"Let me in!" Heero growled. Relena, seeing reason, stepped up quickly, putting a soft hand on Heero's shoulder.
"Let him go." She said calmly, her eyes not betraying the embarrassments she felt, "Heero you have to let him go, how are you going to explain to Quatre that you killed one of his guards." Roddy chuckled at this, which caused her to get a wayward scowl from Relena. Heero let the man go and the guard fell to the ground grasping for air.
"Kind sir, I'm sorry for my friend's boisterousness, but you see this is extremely important. I'm Relena Dorlian-Peacecraft, the Vice Foreign Minister, and I need shelter because a crazed fourteen-year old is trying to kill me. There was an assassination attempt on my life and now I'm running from said fourteen-year-old. Having refuge in the desert is the smartest thing to do because no one will look for me here. Quatre is an old friend of Mr. Yuy, whose armpit you've already become acquainted with, and me. It's taken me three days to get here, and I had to almost be killed to do it, please, don't turn me away." A look of utter seriousness washed over Relena. She was sure that if he didn't say yes, she was going to allow Heero to continue to choke this man. The poor guard, once he'd listened and thought thoroughly about Relena's small speech and finally gained his voice back obliged the group of three and allowed them entry into Quatre's compound.
They were escorted through a series of smaller gates then finally to the front door, which the guards unlocked with a key that was connected to his linen pants. Inside the house there was an eerie quietness and darkness that didn't allow for much of anything. All three in the group stared at the tall ceilings in silence, waiting for Quatre to emerge from the shadows like the Phantom of the Opera or some other ominous figure.
"Wait here!" the guards bellowed and walked off to go get Quatre. Relena, feeling a great weight being lifted from her shoulders sulked down into the cushioned sofa in the foyer and removed her modest pumps.
"We finally made it through that damned desert." Roddy remarked, plopping down next to Relena, "what kind of idiot lived in the middle of the hottest desert on earth anyway?"
"I do." The group was startled by the voice of Quatre, who indeed did appear out of the darkness like a phantom. His face was solemn, nothing like the joyous Quatre that used to greet Relena; he didn't even smile at her. His eyes were angry, she could tell.
"Quatre." Relena spurted breathily, a smile curving her lips. She walked up to the blonde and embraced him strongly, having missed his joyous company for the past seven years. He brought his arms up weakly around her and from the hug turned his eyes to Heero, then to Roddy.
"I'm glad you're safe." He said quietly into her ear and stepped away from her embrace. Heero walked towards the two, a bit jealous that Relena hadn't hugged him that way. He quickly pushed those feelings aside when Quatre brought a hand up in a weak handshake.
"We need…" Heero began, but was abruptly cut off by a wave of Quatre's hand.
"Don't worry about it. I don't want Relena getting hurt at all, you can stay as long as you'd like."
"Aren't you going to ask how we found you?" Relena chimed in.
"It's Heero, there is no need to ask." Quatre smirked and winked at her, then turned his attentions to Roddy.
"Hi." She squeaked, feeling like the odd one out.
"Who is this?" Quatre asked, turning to Relena and Heero.
"That is Democratic Representative Adelphia, from the L6 colony." Dorothy chimed in from the stair that was directly behind them. The group turned and looked at the blonde woman as she descended. Heero started to grumble under his breath, and Relena could almost see the steam of anger and confusion puffing from his ears.
"What is she doing here?" Heero asked, narrowing his eyes at Dorothy.
"I thought you were dead. The papers reported that you were killed in the explosion." Relena commented and walked up to Dorothy.
"I escaped barely, but Jonathan didn't make it out. I am a widow." Dorothy held her head low pushing back the tears then turned her attention back to Roddy.
"She saved my life, Quatre, that's why she's still here." Relena answered.
"She's a Democratic Representative, I don't think that she is trust worthy. They are the ones that are in together with Marimeia." Roddy narrowed her eyes at the blonde and clenched her fists as her sides.
"Are you saying that just because of my political affiliation that I am part of this melee?" she bit her lower lip in frustration almost to the point of drawing blood.
"We're just trying to be careful." Quatre said gently. Roddy walked up to him and stared him in the eye, deep hazel meeting aquamarine.
"Look," she began poking him in the stomach, "I may have different beliefs, but that doesn't mean that I don't respect yours. I would never want to cause harm to the Vice Foreign Minister. Keep in mind; if it weren't for my quick thinking, there would be no Relena. So don't judge me."
Quatre looked at her with wide, blue eyes and a smirk washed over his face.
"I'm sorry, you're right. But there are some things that we need to ask you. I suppose you and Relena would like to get changed first. Dinner will be ready around six. Rest." He sulked back into his corner and ordered Rashid to show his newest guest to their rooms.
***
Marimeia sat in her study nervously tapping her pen against the hard, oak desk. She had been receiving a report of her latest decree of martial law on the colonies every hour on the hour and the most recent was a bit late. She was also anxiously awaiting the report from the siege of Preventer headquarters and the apprehension of Wufei Chang.
"My Lady," she heard Jonathan Shelby say from the door. She turned quickly in her leather chair and looked at him, balancing a small dagger in her fingers.
"I hope this is good news Shelby, I cannot abide bad." Her crystal blue eyes glowed and Shelby took a step forward.
"This is outrageously good news, my lady. First off, martial law has set in completely in all states on earth as well as on the colonies. Preventer HQ has been successfully taken over, though there is no sign of Chang. We did, however, find his long time companion Sally Po and we are holding her for questioning…"
Marimeia held her hand up quickly, stopping his report and looked the man over with her doubtful eyes.
"And what of the Vice Foreign Minister and her companion, Miss Adelphia?"
"Yes… well… we've yet to locate the whereabouts of those two ladies, but it is assumed that Relena is still alive."
"So, the bitch is running." The redhead got up from her chair and walked over to the large window that viewed the remnants of one of the most beautiful cities in Sanc.
"But, we do have a way to get Miss Adelphia back in the spotlight." Shelby said, this cause Marimeia to turn attentions back to the trembling man.
"I'm listening." She said turning away from the window.
"Let me tell you an interesting story that our investigators found out earlier today. I assure you that this will make you squeal in delight Lady Khushrenada."
"Yes, yes, get on with it, Shelby." Marimeia said with annoyance.
"Well, it so happens that about six years ago, a year after your famous, disastrous first rebellion a certain Miss Adelphia came to earth and fell in love with none other than ex-Gundam pilot Trowa Barton. In this same year they came to fall greatly in love and bear a child, who happens to not be with Miss Adelphia at this moment." Shelby smiled.
"Does Barton know about this child?" Marimeia asked.
"That is questionable, but our informative at the circus says that he left three days ago to an undisclosed location. Something tells me that this location is where we can find Peacecraft and Adelphia and the other thorns in our sides."
"So, where is this kid…"
"A six year old boy named Augustus Barton. She calls him Gus for short. He happens to be in our custody at the moment, we had to take him from the nanny that he was staying with while his mother attended the convention." Shelby smiled evilly.
"Good work, Shelby. Maybe you're not as incompetent as you appear to be. Now, be gone so that I can prep for my statement to ESUN, and bring the cute little Gus along." Marimeia smiled evilly as she watched Shelby leave the room. She then turned back to the window and looked over the shining city lights and smiled.
"Yes, yes, my dear Relena, you can run and you can hide but you cannot flee from me. I have eyes on you everywhere."