Revised 12/2002

DISCLAIMER: GUNDAM WING IS OWNED BY SUNRISE AND BANDI ENTERTAINMENT. I DON'T OWN THEM JUST BORROWING THEM. I MAKE NO MONEY FROM THIS FIC.

'thoughts'

**ACTIONS**

LIFE, LOVE AND FAMILY: THE FURIES

BY THE ORACLE AT DELPHI

JUNE AC 202

Outside of Preventer Headquarters, a terrible storm continued its four-day assault on the Cinq kingdom with bolts of lightening, loud thunder and strong winds.

Inside, Relena paced the small meeting room located next to the medical exam room in the basement of Preventer Headquarters.

'They've been gone four days and left me here to drop the bomb on a bunch of trigger happy Gundam Pilots' , Relena narrowed her eyes, 'bitches.'

She continued to pace and ponder her current predicament. She had only been back from her "vacation" for four days and she was in no mood to deal with the Gundam Pilots, particularly Heero. Yes, he would watch over her but she later learned that he would ask someone else to pay her a visit on his behave when he was on her when he wasn't around. Relena was shocked to learn he had been there the entire six months she had been gone. He usually didn't stay in one place six minutes let alone six months.

'That's because you weren't here.'

She shook those thoughts from her head. She had more pressing matters to deal with.

Heero entered the meeting room with an unusually quiet Duo behind him. He casually braced his lean frame against the wall not taking his eyes off the object of his affection.

"Relena"

At the sound of that familiar voice, Relena stopped mid pace meeting his bright blue eyes with her pale blue ones.

"Heero" she calmly replied and resumed her task of wearing a path in the title floor.

Heero eyed Relena through his chocolate bangs as she paced the floor. He noted that there was something different about her. She seemed more confident, poised, determined. There was a certain air that emanated from her that made him fall in love with her all over again. If only he could get the soldier and the man to cooperate with one another, she'd be his. He prayed that he wasn't too late.

Duo sat at the head of the conference table, leaning back in his chair while putting his feet up on the table.

'Six whole months and no sign of her'

Duo had been searching for Hilde with no luck. He couldn't even find her using the Preventer computer system. Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes remembering the last time he saw her.

****Flashback****

"Hey Duo! Wait Up!" Hilde shouted.

Duo had his hand on his black duffle bag on the way out of the door. He was headed to the Preventer Headquarters because mobile dolls had been spotted near earth. Hilde walked up to Duo with her black duffle bag in her hand.

" 'K I'm ready" Hilde said with a smile.

"Uh, where ya goin'?" Duo asked puzzled.

"To Preventer HQ with you. I'm joining the Preventers." She announced with pride.

Duo's eyes went wide, "The hell you are!"

Hilde dropped her duffle bag, "Why not. I know how to fight. I was in the military before you came along, remember?"

"Do you remember the last time you tired to help fight. You almost got yourself KILLED!" He yelled at her.

The smiled disappeared from her face, "Duo. That was" she paused as she mentally calculated the time that had passed, "7 years ago. I've improved since then."

"Running a scrap yard does not make you an "improved" soldier. You're stayin' here. End of discussion." He turned and grabbed his duffle bag.

Hilde crossed her arms, "What do you care if I fight or not?"

Duo dropped his duffel bag, turned around, grabbed Hilde by her arms and shook her, "LOOK! I said ya NOT goin'. Now stay here and I mean STAY HERE!"

Duo let go of Hilde, snatched up his duffle bag and slammed the door on the way out.

When he returned home early the next morning he wanted to talk to Hilde and apologized for yelling at her. Her door was closed, so he assumed she was still sleeping and he continued on to his room. He awoke in the middle of the afternoon to a quiet house…too quiet. He got out of bed and headed toward the kitchen. As he passed Hilde's bedroom he noticed that that door was still closed which was odd because Hilde left her door open when she was not in it. He knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again. No answer. He opened the door and got the shock of his life. All of her things were gone. The only thing that remained was the furniture. On the bed was a letter. He walked over to the bed and pick up the letter:

Duo,

I've wasted enough of my life on you. I'm outta here.

Hilde.

****End Flashback****

Duo leaned forward in his chair resting his elbows on the table. Everyday that passed without Hilde was hell on Duo. She was his lifeline and he was determined to find her.

Trowa arrived and nodded his head in greeting to the others and took the seat on the left of Duo.

Trowa had problems of his own. His sister Catherine has been gone for four days and hasn't bothered to contact his at all.

'Where the hell is she?' he wondered, 'this is not like her at all.'

Trowa spent a great of his life without his sister. Fate had brought them back together and he'd be damned if he'd let it tear them apart again. Catherine was his main reason for living. Because of her he learned how to love. Because of her he learned what it meant to be a family. Because of her he finally had a name. He no longer had to be Nanashi, a man without a name, without a past, without a future. He was now Trowa Barton, not because he had to be but because he wanted to and he owed it all to Catherine.

Just then bickering could be heard coming from the hall and gradually got louder as the combatants approached the meeting room. A scowling Wufei and laughing Sally entered the meeting room.

"ONNA! Have you no honor"

"Well it's not MY fault little Miss China Perfect has the hots for you. Apparently she doesn't mind your lack of social skills." Sally said as she laughed.

Wufei continued to scowl as he took the seat to the left of Trowa. Sally stopped the pacing Relena to give her a much, needed hug. Sally knew how much the situation was wearing on her. Sally pulled out the seat to the right of Duo and sat down pulling Relena down to the seat to her right.

Noin entered the room followed by Quatre who was carrying the five years old, Duce on his shoulders. Duce is the nickname of Noin's son Milliardo Peacecraft II. Everyone was shocked when they found out that Noin was pregnant and stunned when they found out Milliardo was the father. They thought the Lighting Count was dead but apparently he came back to leave Noin a parting gift. No one has seen or heard from him since.

"Auntie Rena!" Duce shouted as he tried to jump off Quatre's shoulders and into Relena's lap. Quatre set the boy down on the ground and he pounced on Relena giving her a death grip hug and a big wet kiss as only five year olds can.

"I missed you Auntie Rena. Did you bring me something back?"

Relena slyly wiped her wet cheek on the shoulder of her shirt as she hugged her nephew in return.

"Of course I did. I could never forget about you."

Noin sat next to Relena while Quatre took the seat next to Wufei.

"Ok. Now that we're all here, what is this about." Wufei stated.

Sally gave Relena a reassuring nod. Relena stood up and gave Duce back to Noin.

Relena took a deep breath, 'Here goes nothing.'

"The Furies are missing and you have to go find them."

Wufei raised an eyebrow, "The Furies? Who or what the hell are they?"

"The Furies is a name from mythology for the female spirits of Justice and Vengeance" Quatre answered.

"You're not the only person in the room familiar with Greek Mythology, Quatre." Wufei responded.

Quatre folded his arms, "Then why did you ask such a dumb ass question then?"

Everyone looked at Quatre shocked. Quatre was always the nice, patient and kind one of them. That statement went against all they knew about the man.

"The Furies is Preventers Elite Spy and Recon Team." Sally explained to the group.

"I am NOT going to rescue a group of weak onnas." Wufei snarled getting up from his chair.

**THWACK!**

A long steel knife landed on the edge of the table right in front of Wufei. His eyes widen as he caught a glimpse of the engraved name on the hilt of the knife, Peacecraft.

"They are NOT weak "onnas" and you ARE going to rescue them. Now sit DOWN Chang Wufei or next time I won't miss." Relena said through her teeth as she reached across the table to reclaim her knife.

"What the hell did you do while you were gone?" Heero asked shocked that his pacifist princess could throw a knife let alone be accurate.

Relena turned her head to look over her shoulder at Heero, "Learning to Live."

She plucked the knife from the table and returned it to its sheath located at the small of her back under her shirt.

'I wonder what else you've been learning to do.', Heero thought as he leaned back onto the wall.

Wufei promptly sat back down in his seat. Sally bowed her head to hide her laughter.

"In order to find them you gonna have to know who your looking for."

Relena took out a silver disc and placed it into computer built into the table and pressed a blue button that made a huge view screen emerge at the end of the table opposite Duo. Relena sat back down in her chair and prayed for the best as the lights dimmed.  The screen flickered to life and a computerized voice filled the room.

"Furies: Elite Spy and Recon Team" the voice said as the title flashed across the screen.

The computer flashed a picture of a blue-eyed beauty with raven colored hair with a sleek short cut.

"Hilde Schiebecker, Preventer Persephone"

"SAY WHAT!!!" Duo yelled sitting straight up in his chair.

The computer flashed a picture of a woman who had facial features similar to Quatre. Long golden blond hair that flowed down her back with short bangs that rested just above her eyes. She had light green eyes and a 100-watt smile.

"Kellee Deanna Winner, Preventer Athena"

"Huh." Quatre muttered too stunned to say more.

The computer flashed a picture of a red head with soft curls and sparkling lavender eyes.

"Catherine Bloom, Preventer Artemis"

Trowa stared at the picture of his beloved Catherine and blinked, not believing what he was seeing.

The computer flashed a picture of a female with familiar Prussian blue eyes and chocolate brown hair with bangs in disarray but her warm smile set one at ease.

"Janai Jamenson Yuy, Preventer Syren"

A shout echoed throughout the room "YUY!!"

Heero was unmoved.

As computer screen retreated back to its hiding place and the lights came back on, Relena tried to gauge the reactions of each of the pilots. Duo's reaction was to be expected. Hilde had told her of the fight they had about him not wanting her to fight.  So she would have to set him straight.  After Quatre snapped at Wufei earlier, Relena was now thrown off on how to handle him. Out of all the pilots, she bet on Quatre being the easiest to deal with...not so. As for Trowa, according to what Catherine told her about the man, no response is just as bad as getting one. She'd play that one by ear. And then there's Heero. Relena inwardly sighed. He took the news better than the others. She thought that was odd but then again he was the perfect soldier. Nothing bothered him.

Sally looked at the faces at the table and their various expressions, "Well...Are there any questions?"

~*~*~

AUTHORS NOTE:

I'm in to Greek Mythology that's where the names come from.

Persephone is the wife of Hades - The God of Death

Syren, which is, really spelled Siren, lured men to their death with her beauty - means dangerously seductive women.

Athena is the Goddess of War.

Artemis is the Goddess of Hunting.

The Furies are the female spirits of justice and vengeance - means raving madness.