Disclaimers: The song is Fiona's, the boys belong to some production company somewhere, not making any money from this, you know the routine.
Spoilers: Nothing noticeable unless you've seen the parts I've given away.
Feedback: Pretty please? With little chibis on top? (You
pick which ones ~_^) Post here, or you can e-mail me at insanewritinggirl@yahoo.com.
//blah// Relena's thoughts
blah>> electronics
Never Let You Go
Chapter 13
by quelirain
| I've got to make a play
To make my lover stay So what would an angel say the devil wants to know --Fiona Apple, "Criminal" |
The floor director completed the countdown with her fingers, then pointed to Roshelle. She looked at the cameras and smiled as she read the teleprompter.
"Good morning, I'm Roshelle O'Connor.
"For the past two days, myself and another reporter from the National News Service were detained by a Preventer agent and two other men after sighting Vice Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft at the Kennedy shuttle port in New York. We were taken from the shuttle port to an undisclosed location, where we were held, along with the Vice Minister, until early this morning, when she helped us escape.
"The office of the Vice Minister announced four days ago that Miss Peacecraft
had mononucleiosis, an illness that seriously impairs the energy level
of its victims. Mononucleiosis can require up to two months or longer for
a full recovery, so we were surprised to see the Vice Minister at the shuttle
port in the company of Preventer Chang Wufei and Duo Maxwell, the head
of the Maxwell Orphanage and School in the L-2 colony cluster. Once Preventer
Chang and Mr. Maxwell realized the Vice Minister had been seen, they demanded
that we accompany them and the Vice Minister to an undisclosed location.
We
did, and were held there until early this morning, when the Vice Minister
came to us with a request: she would leave with us, if
we would allow her the chance to clear up some of the rumors, old and
new, surrounding her declining involvement in the day to day work of the
ministry." Roshelle turned to face Relena. "Vice Minister, thank you for
being with us this morning."
Relena nodded. "Thank you for having me."
"Now, you've been away from your duties for the past five days, which is very unusual, considering your position. What have you been doing?"
"I've been taking care of some unexpected business that demanded my immediate and full attention," Relena replied smoothly. She'd expected that question, or some form of it. But if Roshelle was starting out with questions that direct, things would only get worse from here.
"Could you elaborate on the nature of that business?"
"Unfortunately, I can't, other than to say it's a sensitive matter that needed to be handled with extreme discretion."
Roshelle paused for a moment, then looked directly at Relena. "In the years following the Eve Wars, part of the Earth Sphere's goal was to eliminate much of the subterfuge that goes on in the government. It surprises me to hear you refuse to comment on what obviously is a serious enough situation to be called 'Preventers' business,' as Preventer Chang said."
"Ms. O'Connor." Relena leaned forward slightly, her hands forming a
tent in front of her chest. "The details of matters of Earth
Sphere security are routinely withheld from the public. If the Preventers
notified the world every time there was a threat, nothing
would get done. There is a time and place for public notification;
while I firmly believe that the Earth Sphere should be fully
informed about situations that threaten its continued stability, this
situation is too sensitive at this time for comment." Relena sat
back in her chair. Her argument made her sound a bit calcified, but
hopefully it would hold.
"If the New York trip involved a security issue, why wasn't your principal bodyguard, Heero Yuy, your escort?"
Relena glanced over at Roshelle. The woman was sharp; she'd caught the opening Relena had left. "I was merely using the example to make a point, Ms. O'Connor. Please don't read anything more into it."
Roshelle nodded. "Strangely, one person I did not see during my detention was Mr. Yuy; was he in New York with you?"
Relena forced a relaxed smile to her lips. "No. Mr. Chang and Mr. Maxwell were handling my security."
"Do you usually use Preventers and private citizens for your personal security?"
Relena's smile became an honest one as she fought not to laugh. "Ms. O'Connor, Preventer Chang often aids my security. He and Heero are old friends. As for Mr. Maxwell, I assure you that he is quite experienced in the protection field."
"Where was Mr. Yuy, if not with you?"
"It's his job to keep track of me, not the other way around, Ms. O'Connor.
He is a pleasure to work with, and I'm looking forward to our future together,"
Relena replied with barely a tremor in her voice. She was putting on a
good show; she hoped
Heero was watching.
"Let's talk about the recent injuries at your estate," Roshelle said. "What happened that could hospitalize three members of your security detail?"
Relena hands shook slightly; she folded them in her lap. "I don't have details on that; as you know, I haven't been in the office."
"You didn't contact the estate once you heard that there were injuries?"
"No, I wasn't able to at the time." Relena squeezed her hands together
and smiled brightly, hoping that the camera wouldn't
pick up her whitening knuckles, even though she knew that it would
show the strain in her eyes.
Roshelle leaned forward. "Is the attack on your estate related to your time in New York and the disappearance of Mr. Yuy?"
Relena paused, then reached for her glass. She took a small sip, swallowed,
and kept the glass in her hand. "Everything is
related on some level, Ms. O'Connor, and I am not closed to the possiblity
that these events could be connected. However,
until I find out the situation at the estate, I really am not informed
enough to make any connections between any of these events." She set the
glass back down on the table. "I am concerned about my staff. My security
teams risk their lives every day for my
sake. I'm not sure exactly what happened, so I won't be able to comment
on that, but I am confident that the responsible parties will be found
and dealt with appropriately."
"Vice Minister, do you have mononucleiousis?"
"Not to my knowledge," she said lightly.
"Did you, at any time, instruct the ministry to claim you had mononucleiousis?"
"No, I did not."
Roshelle paused, then began ticking off items on her fingers. "The ministry
lied to cover up your trip to New York. Mr. Yuy did
not come with you. He disappeared right after the incident at your
estate. Your security detail kidnapped two reporters and destroyed equipment
and film to ensure that your presence in New York was not publicized. Vice
Minister, what exactly is going on here?"
This time, Relena couldn't quite keep the tremor out of her voice, but
she resisted the temptation to fidget. "In regards to your
specific situation, Ms. O'Connor, before this incident, you and your
camerman were not heading toward us, but rather away
from us, as if you were trying to escape. I'm afraid my security misinterpreted
your movements; they are very protective. When
I need to move quickly and quietly, I use a smaller detail, and they
need to be more cautious since they are fewer in number. The New York trip
was one of those instances when I needed to be able to move at will; I
couldn't risk having word leak out that I was in New York for a number
of reasons. It was easier to take you and Mr. Drexel with us than to explain
the situation. As for the destroyed film, my security was hoping to have
some damage control over the leak. I will be more than happy to personally
ensure that the damaged equipment is replaced."
"What was so urgent that the ministry would lie and you would hand off the L-2 colony negotiations to your brother?"
"As I said, it was urgent business, and that's as far as I'm going into it."
"So you won't explain why you were in New York."
"I cannot at this time."
"And you don't know where Mr. Yuy is or what he's doing."
Relena looked directly at the camera. "I cannot answer that at this time." //But I wish I could...//
A flash of sympathy flickered through Roshelle's eyes, as if to say she she was sorry she had to press the issue. Relena checked her composure and waited for the next volley.
"Vice Minister, many people have been saying that your personal life has been interfering with your professional life for quite some time now." The unspoken question hung in the air, waiting for a response.
"Could you give me an example of this alleged 'interference'?" She didn't really have to ask the question, she knew where this was going. Instead, she busied her mind polishing the response she'd been thinking about for months.
"Most critics focus on your consistent pattern of handing off sensitive
negotiations to other staff members, mainly your brother,
Milliardo Peacecraft, especially after the announcement of your engagement
to Mr. Yuy."
Relena leaned forward slightly, trying to look intense without being forceful. "And has Milliardo not completed those negotiations satisfactorily? Has he proven himself to be incompetent or incapable? No, he has not. He is good at what he does, and I believe he is an asset to the ministry that should be fully utilized. He is a strong leader with a true desire to prevent conflicts within the Earth Sphere; I couldn't imagine working without him." Psuedo-relaxing, as if the show was over, she continued, "And as for Mr. Yuy... well, Ms. O'Connor, I rather think that's my business, don't you?" She stared at Roshelle with the same flat look she used to shut other reporters down when they kept pursuing a topic that she didn't wish to discuss.
"But what about your decreasing involvement in the ministry, Vice Minister? Overall, you've been doing less and Mr. Peacecraft has been doing more. What does this trend signal?"
"That I'm due to be married in a few weeks?" Relena laughed. "I only plan to get married once, and I don't want to miss the wedding."
"The wedding has been postponed, according to your office."
"Yes, it has. The timing wasn't quite what we wanted. Even though it is my wedding, it's a bit more flexible than some of the talks that I have scheduled." Relena smiled.
Roshelle studied Relena for a long moment. Relena returned the level gaze without flinching. Finally, Roshelle spoke. "Miss Peacecraft, are you aware that there has been a motion made to remove you from your position?"
Relena's stomach trembled, but she schooled her face to serenity. "No, I wasn't."
"Late last night, Representative Wanamingo issued a statement that you
were no longer capable of fulfilling the demands of your
office." Roshelle leaned slightly toward Relena.
Little boomerangs of panic, fear, and anger bounced and whipped in her stomach. //A political attack? Now? Did Milliardo know? That slimy Kenyo... Although I admit I'm not surprised.// She clamped down her emotions. "And what was his rationale for that assertion?"
"He feels that your recent and sudden disappearance was the last straw
in a long line of repeated demonstrations of your lack of commitment to
the position. He says, and I quote, 'Unless she's hiding something from
all of us, Miss Peacecraft has become a
part-time diplomat. That's not the kind of person we want as our representative
and liaison.' Frankly, Miss Peacecraft, it does
appear you've been hiding something from us; we'd like to know what
it is."
The camera moved in close to Relena, its red light staring at her like
a demonic eye. She knew that it was zoomed in on her
face, poised to catch any possible twitch or squirm and relay it to
the world. She met the camera's unwavering stare with one of
her own.
//So this is what it's like to be on your own...//
~owari Chapter 13~