Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing but my Aliens do.

Chapter 1

The Charming Blonde in the Train

It was dark in the caged room and not a sound radiated from its walls. The steel bars that hung from the top of the archivist room in the Louvre museum were thankfully sturdy. The clock ticked 10:35pm and a scraggly security guard dressed in a faded gray uniform walked in. He looked around and noticed nothing there around the caged safe. Shrugging and thanking his god that he was off of work after being there all day, he turned on the final security system. It was a series of bright green lasers crisscrossing in one concentrated spot, the large iron safe that was safely behind the middle cage. The heavy lead door shut with an earthen thud and the room was once more cloaked in total darkness.

The tiniest bit of movement could only be detected by the finely trained eye. A figure dressed in a black spandex bodysuit was hanging by a utility belt at her waist that was slightly taking the pressure from her thighs that were wrapped around one of the many steel pipes that protruded form the ceiling.

"Duo, you didn't tell me that they had an aerial laser system," she said through the headset in a fractured whisper. She was afraid that the room was sound sensitive.

"You don't have to whisper, I don't detect a sound sensitive patch," Duo's voice crackled through her earphone.

"You didn't detect a laser system either but they have one," Jina tartly whispered back.

"Don't condescend to me, Wohess. I'll leave your ass stranded hanging upside down on a lead pipe," Duo's voice crackled through the earpiece again.

"Head's up you two! The guards are switching. Duo, figure out how to override the laser system," A new voice was heard over Jina's earpiece.

"Dammit, that means that I'm gonna have to leave the comfort of the ice cream truck. Which also means that I'm gonna need a distraction, Rod," Duo chimed back.

"One distraction coming up," Roddy's calm voice cracked through the earphone. Within three minutes the lasers had fizzed to their deaths and Jina unstrapped herself from the lead pipe, and in a rather acrobatic feat she let her body drop as she flipped upright and landed on the cages without even the slightest thump of feet.

"I don't know how ya'll do it but I'm glad you're on my team," Jina said through her earpiece.

"Uh, Jina, you ever heard that saying the inmates are running the asylum, well that's how we do it," Duo laughed.

"So, how long do I have until the guards are revived?" Jina asked.

"I shot them with a mild tranquilizer so about twenty minutes but we've already wasted enough time. We need to get these artifacts on the train."

"Shipping stolen goods by train in a rainbow Louis Vuitton duffel bag, you're a genius Rod," Duo said. Jina, meanwhile, was busy getting to work on the safe.

She slowly climbed down the grate pulling a small pair of wire cutters from her utility belt and cutting the chain link cage's lock and simply walking into the section where the safe occupied. Laying down her tools on top of the safe she pulled out her miniature safe drill and drilled through the paneling next to the lock hearing the bolt open with a sharp click.

"It's open," Jina said,

"Okay, Jina, just take the Kingsford Scepter, a weighted gold scepter encrusted with precious stones.  Then take the Heiress Tiara," Roddy said over the earpiece. Jina grabbed the two articled and stuffed them into her backpack. Quickly packing her tools back up she climbed the caged once again and went out the same way she came in. Sometimes this job was just too easy.

****

Roddy Adelphia eased her way through the train terminal with ease. The Eurorail was usually a joyous and relaxing trip, especially the train ride from France to Switzerland. She gripped her large rainbow leather Louis Vuitton duffel in hand and adjusted her expensive sunglasses. Dressed in a camel-colored trench coatdress and suede camel boots, she looked nothing like a notorious artifacts thief; she actually looked like her legitimate profession, a rare antiquities dealer. She was on her way to deliver the scepter and tiara to their financier in Lucerne, drop off their well earned money in the groups joint Swiss bank accounts, and make her way back to the group so that they could meet up and vacation in Venice. She was always the designated businesswoman because of her natural finesse and already established contacts on the black market of artifacts dealing. Truth be told, the group would have picked her as their spokesperson because, not only because she was breathtaking, her natural grace and charm seemed to be irresistible to the various financiers that had funded them in the past. In fact, as she strolled gracefully through the Eurorail station, duffel bag filled with millions of dollars of stolen antiquities, the stares from various men flooded her senses; don't think she didn't notice, but her mind was definitely on the job.

Setting down her precious cargo in her even more precious Louis Vuitton she scanned the arrival/departure schedule of the trains. That's what she loved about European transportation you could set your watch by it. She was early by ten minutes, just enough time to relax and catch up on the news. She smiled as she recognized the shocked security guards from the night before.

"Idiots," she said under her breath as she saw her crime scene, "will the French police ever learn." She turned her attention away from the new for only a moment noticing that a rather strange blonde man was starting at her. As soon as their eyes met he turned away and she turned her attention back to the news, noticing that the story of her latest successful score was overshadowed by something seemingly more important. She listened as the news anchor droned one:

"This worrisome robbery come just days before the transportation and unveiling of the Peregrine Stone at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. This ancient stone is said to be worth upwards of 200million American dollars. The stone, named after the Midwestern Peregrine Falcon has seen its share of heist gone bad. Over the past four years, the FBI security team that surrounds this stone had been more than successful, foiling more than 53 theft attempts. That teams is headed by Special Agents in charge Trowa Barton and Heero Yuy. They both say that this latest robbery will not startle them and they will just have to tighten security around the stone." Roddy stared in disbelief at the television and sighed. Looking around to see if the blonde man was still staring she realized that her train number was being called for boarding. She quickly picked up her duffle bag of goodies.

"Upwards of 200million dollars; what a cherry job," then she thought about what she was saying. All three of them, she, Jina and Duo had promised that this past job would be the last one that they did. They all had enough money now to go straight after they got this 2million dollar payoff from the Lucerne financier; still the temptation of 200million dollars and the fame of being the first to actually get away with stealing the Peregrine stone had absolutely too much appeal. She swallowed a large lump in her throat and adjusted her glasses nervously as she handed her ticked to the usher and went quickly to her fist class cabin. She stored the items quickly away and pulled a book out of her duffel bag and began reading as she felt the train pull out of the station.

Not ten minutes into her journey she heard a soft rapping at her door. Throwing down her book in annoyance, she bade the person come in, knowing that it was just going to be some attendant asking for a food or drink order; but she could distinctly remember putting up the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the outside of her cabin.

"Mademoiselle, a gentleman had sent you this glass of our finest Merlot," the older, male attendant said in accented English. Roddy smiled in earnest, knowing that it had to be the handsome blonde she'd seen earlier.

"And what is this gentleman's name?" Roddy asked the attendant as she accepted the glass but did not drink from it.

"That I cannot tell you, I only know that he wishes to have an audience with you in his cabin Room 43." Roddy sighed and regretfully gave the attendant back the glass of wine.

"Tell him that I am sorry, but I do not have audiences nor do I accept expensive wines from men who aren't even willing to come and introduce themselves formally. Let Monsieur Room 43 know that if he'd like to have an audience or share a drink with me in person that that would be welcomed. Otherwise, he can keep his Merlot," Roddy smiled the words and sent the attendant on his way turning back to her trashy romance novel hoping that she wouldn't be disturbed any longer. Within three minutes there was another knock on her cabin door. Without looking up she bade the person enter.

"Are you back with another glass of extremely expensive and no doubt gloriously dry Merlot?" Roddy asked from behind her book.

"I'm afraid I am, but this time instead of a glass I've brought the whole bottle," the voice was different and unmistakably Americanized slightly Arabic accent. She looked over the rim of her book and smiled coyly; it was the blonde from the terminal.

"You are, I'm afraid, the first person I have ever met that doesn't know who I am directly," he said, not being invited to sit but sitting anyway across from her on the plush divan. Roddy dropped her book and looked him over noticing for any facial markings or variations that might alert her memory as to who he was. At first she thought that he might be a lover, but she hadn't had too many blondes in her long list of men so she quickly threw that thought out. Then she went through her list of clients and again came up short. Then it hit her; the blonde hair, the fair, pink skin, the cherubic, almost innocent aquamarine stare, it had to be Quatre Winner. She smiled knowingly, finally putting the face and the name together in her mind.

"Mr. Winner, how good it is to make your acquaintance," she said, offering her hand, he took it and placed a lingering kiss on the small, brown digits.  He was known very well inside of some of the social circles that she mingled with. Not only was he one of the richest men on the planet, owning an oil company, three television networks, and a thriving lot of casinos in Las Vegas, he was also known for his appreciation and lust for artwork and precious stones.

"I should say the same to you, Ms. Adelphia," so he knew her, she was impressed, "I wouldn't have thought you would be so bold as to reject my gift so completely, but I guess it was to be expected a strong woman as yourself."

"I saw you staring at me earlier and didn't quite recognize the face but I knew that it had to be you that was sending me the Merlot. I do not accept gifts from men that don't have the decency to introduce themselves in person," she flaunted and lay back relaxingly against her own divan.

"Should I make myself comfortable?" he asked, popping open the bottle of wine and producing a plate of cheese and grapes out of nowhere.

"If you make yourself comfortable then you obviously have something serious to discuss," Roddy said calmly leaning still leaning back against the divan crossing her legs confidently.

"Let's leave the serious discussion for after the wine, I say we should just flirt until then," he smiled, pouring them both fresh glasses of Merlot. He handed her the glass gracefully, allowing Roddy the chance to look over his hands in search of a wedding ring. She spotted one, just as clear as the platinum and diamonds shining from it, on his hand. Sighing, she resounded to tasting the smoky Gouda on the wheat and sesame seed crackers and sipping her wonderfully dry Merlot.

"Flirting shouldn't even be in your vocabulary, considering your current situation," Roddy said, nodding towards the ring on his finger. He smiled, looked down at his ring, took a sip of his Merlot, then took in the generous amount of creamy chocolate leg that Roddy was offering.

"I assure you that my current situation does not stop me from enjoying a flirtation," he said removing the ring and sticking it in his pocket.

"There is no use in hiding the trinket now, Mr. Winner, it will burn a hole in your pocket," she smiled and sipped, the wine making her slightly heady.

"Then I will not flirt, though to flirt with you, Ms. Adelphia, would be a dangerous and most pleasant situation to get into."

"Good, then shall we discuss more serious matters then?" Roddy asked, finishing her glass with a quick swig.

"We shall."

"I assume that you, just like I know who you are, know who I am and my business ventures."

"Yes, and I approve," Quatre said, following suit and finishing his wine.

"Just as long as it doesn't affect you."

"You are correct."

"So, what do you want to discuss?" Roddy asked, feeling with her uncrossed leg if the duffel bag was still behind her heel.

"Let's just say that I've heard from some good friends that you could get me any piece of art or artifact that I desire," Quatre started.

"Maybe not any artifact but just about."

"Are you really that good?"

"Better."

"Good, because I'm going to need good people on this proposition. I want the Peregrine Stone," he said with starry-eyed greed. Roddy smiled then laughed from the headiness that the wine gave her and the proposition.

"Mr. Winner, no one can get to the Peregrine Stone, the security system is too difficult to crack and the personnel are experts. No one in their right mind would take that job."

"Many have tried…"

"And failed completely and miserably. No one wants to go up against the Stone Dogs Yuy and Barton. It's 200million dollars but not even worth the trouble. It's a unicorn."

"A what?"

"A unicorn. It's what we thieves call a job that's beautiful yet unattainable. Besides, my team and I are retiring, we don't need anymore jobs."

"I'm sorry to hear that, I've admired your work for some time now." Quatre said, standing, leaving the wine and food there for his lovely company.

"You should have gotten me sooner," She smiled weakly. He walked towards her cabin door and opened it, but stopped in his tracks as he walked out.

"If you ever need anything, anything at all, just give me a call. And remember, if you ever want some extra money, my offer still stands. Farewell, beautiful stranger." He said, handing her his business card and kissing her fingers his lips lingering there slightly. She looked down at the business card as he left and shrugged. He should have got them before they got it in their heads that they were going to retire.