Relena sat in a back room of Heero's small house. She was unrecognisable.
In case the guards returned and searched the house Heero had forced her to
cut her hair and rub soot through it to make it black. She was dressed in
grey, the traditional colour worn by women to show their inferiority.
She could hear people moving around in the front room, but Heero had explicitly told her not to make a sound until he called her in. She wondered what he was planning, but knew that whatever it was, it would be dangerous.
After another few minutes Heero opened the door and beckoned her through. She entered the front room and saw several faces watching her warily. She recognised two of them. The faces of Zechs and Noine looked at her and a glint of acknowledgment flashed in their eyes.
"Everyone, this is the girl I was telling you about." Heero said. "This is Relena, the escaped prisoner from The Fort." He pushed Relena forwards forcibly and she gazed at the unfamiliar faces. Heero made her sit in a chair as he introduced everyone.
"You have already met Zechs and Noine, or so I hear." He said. "This is Treize." He pointed to a tall, quiet man who flicked his hand in way of greeting, his features obscured in shadows. "This is Wufei Chang. Over here is Trowa Barton and Quatre Winner. Duo Maxwell and his servant Hilde." Relena saw the boy with long hair and just next to him 'his woman' Hilde.
"Hello." She said.
"These people are some of my closest friends, and ones that I trust implicitly." Heero explained. "They also all agree that things have gone too far. Men and women should be equal, not oppressed because of physical weakness."
The people in the room nodded and Zechs put his arm around Noine. Relena could tell that they had strong feelings for each other, and weren't just joined together by the stupid laws.
"I have told them that you wish to speak the truth." Heero continued. "Please tell them what you told me about The Fort."
Relena took a deep breath and felt Heero squeeze her shoulder to lend his support. She began to tell them everything that she knew, and from their shocked faces she could tell that they had had no idea about the truth behind The Fort. When she had finished she noticed that a stony silence cloaked the room. Zechs and Noine were locked together in an embrace of comfort. Duo had Hilde by the hand and was grimacing at the thought of what Relena had said. No one spoke for a moment.
"Relena." Noine said finally. "A friend of mine was sent to The Fort a while ago. Could you tell me if she is still alive?"
"I will try." Relena promised. "I didn't know everyone's names, but I will try."
"Her name is Sally Po." Noine said.
Relena's stomach jolted. She knew that name. She bowed her head and spoke softly. "I am sorry." She said quietly. "I do know that name. Unfortunately only because it is engraved on a tombstone in the cemetery."
Noine gasped as buried her head in Zech's hair as she shed a tear for her friend. "How did she die?" Zechs asked stiffly.
"She had a most honourable death." Relena said. "She was executed for standing up to an officer who beat a young girl for crying. She gave the officer a scar that he will carry to the end of his life, and the girl she protected survived. Her name will never be forgotten."
Zechs and Noine nodded wordlessly, and the previously silent Treize now spoke up, his face still shrouded in shadow. "I also have a friend in The Fort. She is known as Lady Une."
"I know that she is alive." Relena said. "She and I used to do some chores together. She is a very kind lady, and well respected amongst the other girls."
"She may be useful then." Heero said. "Relena, we intend to do something about this Fort right away. We want to get those women out of there as quickly as possible. With your knowledge of the interior of The Fort we feel that we could break in and free those women."
Relena nodded. "It would be difficult, but it is not impossible. I do not know how I escaped, but I do believe that we could get a few women out of there safely."
"Not a few." Trowa said from the shadows. "We want to get all of them out."
"But that would be so difficult." Relena protested. "I only know my way around the wing in which I was held, there are three other wings of the Fort where women are held."
"Which is where I come into this." Wufei said. "I have been offered a job in The Fort. I have a reputation as a man who dislikes women. I do not dislike them, I just prefer not to be in the company of women all the time."
Relena nodded. "I understand." She said. "Just because you don't generally socialise with women doesn't mean you want us to be oppressed so cruelly."
Wufei nodded.
"I also worked in The Fort." Treize said. "I know my way around quite well."
Relena squinted her eyes to look at him. "You worked in The Fort?" She asked.
"Yes, I was transferred here a few weeks ago as an undercover agent. It is my duty to befriend people and then see if they are obeying the laws. If they don't, I turn them in."
"A double crosser." Heero explained. "Except they don't know that Treize is actually now on our side."
"I never speak of my time in the Fort." Treize continued. "Because I am ashamed to have been part of it. I was also forbidden to talk about it. If word got back to the guards that I had told the truth about the Fort, I would be tracked down and killed in an instant."
"Let me see your face!" Relena pleaded. "You were working in the Fort when I was there." Treize hesitated before stepping into the light. Relena gasped and shrank back into her chair. "YOU!" She gasped. "You were the first guard to whip me!"
"Something that I have always regretted. I awake each night with my back burning from the lashes that I gave to others, my hands covered in their blood." Treize said. "This is my way of redeeming myself. I hope that you will learn to forgive and trust me."
Relena did not answer; she just stared at the floor. "So what is the plan?" She asked. Heero squeezed her shoulder gain to give her support.
"That's the spirit." He said. "Now we can get down to business!"
She could hear people moving around in the front room, but Heero had explicitly told her not to make a sound until he called her in. She wondered what he was planning, but knew that whatever it was, it would be dangerous.
After another few minutes Heero opened the door and beckoned her through. She entered the front room and saw several faces watching her warily. She recognised two of them. The faces of Zechs and Noine looked at her and a glint of acknowledgment flashed in their eyes.
"Everyone, this is the girl I was telling you about." Heero said. "This is Relena, the escaped prisoner from The Fort." He pushed Relena forwards forcibly and she gazed at the unfamiliar faces. Heero made her sit in a chair as he introduced everyone.
"You have already met Zechs and Noine, or so I hear." He said. "This is Treize." He pointed to a tall, quiet man who flicked his hand in way of greeting, his features obscured in shadows. "This is Wufei Chang. Over here is Trowa Barton and Quatre Winner. Duo Maxwell and his servant Hilde." Relena saw the boy with long hair and just next to him 'his woman' Hilde.
"Hello." She said.
"These people are some of my closest friends, and ones that I trust implicitly." Heero explained. "They also all agree that things have gone too far. Men and women should be equal, not oppressed because of physical weakness."
The people in the room nodded and Zechs put his arm around Noine. Relena could tell that they had strong feelings for each other, and weren't just joined together by the stupid laws.
"I have told them that you wish to speak the truth." Heero continued. "Please tell them what you told me about The Fort."
Relena took a deep breath and felt Heero squeeze her shoulder to lend his support. She began to tell them everything that she knew, and from their shocked faces she could tell that they had had no idea about the truth behind The Fort. When she had finished she noticed that a stony silence cloaked the room. Zechs and Noine were locked together in an embrace of comfort. Duo had Hilde by the hand and was grimacing at the thought of what Relena had said. No one spoke for a moment.
"Relena." Noine said finally. "A friend of mine was sent to The Fort a while ago. Could you tell me if she is still alive?"
"I will try." Relena promised. "I didn't know everyone's names, but I will try."
"Her name is Sally Po." Noine said.
Relena's stomach jolted. She knew that name. She bowed her head and spoke softly. "I am sorry." She said quietly. "I do know that name. Unfortunately only because it is engraved on a tombstone in the cemetery."
Noine gasped as buried her head in Zech's hair as she shed a tear for her friend. "How did she die?" Zechs asked stiffly.
"She had a most honourable death." Relena said. "She was executed for standing up to an officer who beat a young girl for crying. She gave the officer a scar that he will carry to the end of his life, and the girl she protected survived. Her name will never be forgotten."
Zechs and Noine nodded wordlessly, and the previously silent Treize now spoke up, his face still shrouded in shadow. "I also have a friend in The Fort. She is known as Lady Une."
"I know that she is alive." Relena said. "She and I used to do some chores together. She is a very kind lady, and well respected amongst the other girls."
"She may be useful then." Heero said. "Relena, we intend to do something about this Fort right away. We want to get those women out of there as quickly as possible. With your knowledge of the interior of The Fort we feel that we could break in and free those women."
Relena nodded. "It would be difficult, but it is not impossible. I do not know how I escaped, but I do believe that we could get a few women out of there safely."
"Not a few." Trowa said from the shadows. "We want to get all of them out."
"But that would be so difficult." Relena protested. "I only know my way around the wing in which I was held, there are three other wings of the Fort where women are held."
"Which is where I come into this." Wufei said. "I have been offered a job in The Fort. I have a reputation as a man who dislikes women. I do not dislike them, I just prefer not to be in the company of women all the time."
Relena nodded. "I understand." She said. "Just because you don't generally socialise with women doesn't mean you want us to be oppressed so cruelly."
Wufei nodded.
"I also worked in The Fort." Treize said. "I know my way around quite well."
Relena squinted her eyes to look at him. "You worked in The Fort?" She asked.
"Yes, I was transferred here a few weeks ago as an undercover agent. It is my duty to befriend people and then see if they are obeying the laws. If they don't, I turn them in."
"A double crosser." Heero explained. "Except they don't know that Treize is actually now on our side."
"I never speak of my time in the Fort." Treize continued. "Because I am ashamed to have been part of it. I was also forbidden to talk about it. If word got back to the guards that I had told the truth about the Fort, I would be tracked down and killed in an instant."
"Let me see your face!" Relena pleaded. "You were working in the Fort when I was there." Treize hesitated before stepping into the light. Relena gasped and shrank back into her chair. "YOU!" She gasped. "You were the first guard to whip me!"
"Something that I have always regretted. I awake each night with my back burning from the lashes that I gave to others, my hands covered in their blood." Treize said. "This is my way of redeeming myself. I hope that you will learn to forgive and trust me."
Relena did not answer; she just stared at the floor. "So what is the plan?" She asked. Heero squeezed her shoulder gain to give her support.
"That's the spirit." He said. "Now we can get down to business!"