Chapter Eighteen: I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar
Catherine paced the hotel room Trowa had picked out for her. She couldn't figure out the reasons behind her brother's actions, or his "big picture". All of it was wrong; he wasn't the boy she'd grown to love during the first war. That Trowa was calm, bright and liked his solitude, whom had then accepted the other pilots as his friends. Now he was cynical, harsh, cruel, and had made his former friends his enemies. Not to mention, he was wanted by the Preventers for criminal actions. There wasn't a lot she could do. She didn't work for the government, or the Preventers, and she didn't have any contact with any of the gundam pilots anymore. She stopped pacing and picked up the hotel phone. But there was one contact she did still have. Slowly, she dialed the number.
"Hello? Yes, I'd like to talk to Lady Une. Yes, it's important. I have information on the whereabouts of Trowa Barton. I'm sure, No! It's not a prank. Yes, I'll hold." Catherine took in a deep breath. She hoped she was doing the right thing.
"Lady Une? Yes, my name is Catherine Bloom, do you remember me?"
On the other end of the line, Lady Une pushed up her glasses in surprise. "Of course, Ms. Bloom. What can I do for you?"
"Forgive me, this is rather awkward. I know that you're looking for my brother?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so, Ms. Bloom." Lady Une sighed. It was only the biggest thing going on among the Preventer agents. Heero had quit, and he was her best agent. They had had no success whatsoever in foiling any of OWN's plots.
"Well, the thing is, I have information." Catherine said quietly.
Lady Une sat up straight. "What kind of information?"
"I know what city he's in right now, and what hotel. I don't know where his main base of operations is. I was blindfolded when I was taken there earlier."
"Where are you now, Ms. Bloom?"
"Back in the hotel."
"Where is Trowa Barton?" Lady Une asked as gently as possible. This could be vital. If they could get to Barton before the all out battles began, it could save a huge number of lives.
Catherine paused. She felt like the traitor, turning over her own brother, but what else could she do? "He's in Berlin at the Grand Crown hotel. I'm in a hotel outside of Berlin."
"I take it he's here?" Lady Une was still having a little difficulty believing that these people had infiltrated the past.
"Yes. Last I knew."
"Thank you, Catherine. I hope you know what this means to us." Lady Une told her, already dispatching agents in the Berlin sector.
"Just...Can you keep him alive?" she asked. She'd always feel guilty if anything happened to him.
"We'll do our best. He may not even be there by now. Thank you."
"Of course, Lady Une. Good bye."
"Good bye."
There was a soft click, and Catherine laid the phone back in the cradle. "Just don't plan on dying, little brother." She whispered.
When you wanted something done, most of the time it was better to do it yourself. That was what Anna kept telling herself as she stalked quietly down the halls of the palace serving as OWN's headquarters. It hadn't taken her long to find out where it was, not with a little hacking using the laptop. Once she found it, she found out that a man in the organization named General Victor was looking for an assassin. It was her lucky day.
Unfortunately for Victor, working for him was not her main objective. Her main objective was to get as close to Trowa Barton as possible, so she could find out what the heck was going on. However, Trowa would know who she was as soon as he saw her. So Anna changed her physical appearance using the laptop. She had shortened her hair to shoulder length, made it black, and put in deep grey contacts. She took about three inches off her height and the illusion was complete. And now she was going to be hired by the enemy.
She pulled down the sleeves of her emerald green turtle neck as she reached the desk of what she assumed was Victor's secretary.
"Can I help you, Miss?" the girl asked. She couldn't have been more than sixteen.
"Yes. I have an appointment with General Victor." Anna said quietly.
"Right down the hall. He's expecting you." The girl replied amiably.
Anna nodded her thanks and disappeared down the aforesaid hall. She stopped in front of the office door she assumed was Victor's and knocked.
"Enter."
She did.
He glanced up from his papers and stood quickly. "Oh, please, come in. I didn't realize I would be in the company of a lady. I am General Victor."
"Yes I know. Does my being a female surprise you?" Anna said. She tried to remain as cool as possible.
He smiled coyly as she took her seat. "Yes, actually it does. I haven't had a female try for the job before."
"Well, what can I say? I'm one of a kind." Anna smiled back.
Victor nodded and sat down. "What's your name?"
"Hoshimawari Mei. People who save time call me Mei." She answered.
"Interesting name. You do know what it means?" Victor said, leaning forward.
"Of course. That's why I chose it."
"One's dark star or destiny. Very well chosen. Do you have any references?"
Anna smirked. "Not any that are still among the living."
"Any relatives?"
"No."
"Friends?"
"Yes."
"Colleagues?"
"No."
"Experience?"
"Plenty."
"Proof?"
"Gravestones, maybe."
"Enemies?"
"Of course."
"How many?"
"Not that many."
"A threat to security?"
"Yours or mine?"
Victor laughed. "Touche." He paused. "Are you good?"
"I'm alive." Anna said quickly.
"You're hired." Victor said, settling back in his chair.
Anna arched an eyebrow. "Oh really?"
Victor nodded. "Yes. Anyone I've asked before has answered that question with `the best' `of course' or some other macho thing like that. I need someone who isn't so cocky they'll get killed in five minutes, but someone confident enough to get the job done. I think you fill that nicely."
Anna smiled. "Well thank you."
"Now there's the matter of price."
"I'm easy to please."
"I need you full time, so you're there when I have a specific job."
"That's fine. My schedule's open."
"Good, good. How about an opening price of one million?"
Anna tried not to let her eyes bug out of her head. "Sounds reasonable." She murmured.
"And an apartment..."
Anna nodded.
"And a trainee."
She blinked. "A trainee?"
Victor smiled and poured them both a drink. Anna accepted and leaned back. "Yes," he said, "a trainee. There's a young man who I think has great potential. However, due to the fact that we have large classes for training, he didn't get the one on one that I'd like him to have. I was hoping you would provide that."
Anna stared at him for a moment. She hadn't counted on that. "I'd have to see him."
"Of course." He pushed a button on his phone. "Lydia? Send Cavel in please."
Anna wanted to die laughing. He couldn't be serious. A knock rapped on the door.
"Enter!" Victor called.
Both Anna and Victor stood, observing the new comer. Sure enough, it was Sparky, in the flesh.
"Yes sir?" he asked nervously.
"Cavel, this is Miss Hoshimawari Mei. I'm hoping she'll be your mentor, so to speak."
He turned to face her. "How do you do, Ms. Mei?"
She sized him up. Apparently somebody hadn't been happy with certain events -the gundam pilots escape most likely- because he had the faint traces of a fistfight. She stood directly in front of him.
"How old are you?" she asked.
"Sixteen, almost seventeen."
"Any friends, family?"
"One friend, I have no family left." He said quietly.
She glanced at Victor. "Are you good?"
Silence. But, she was used to that from him.
"Answer the lady, Cadet." Victor ordered.
"Not very." He whispered.
"How many missions have you had?" she asked. This didn't sound like the confident boy she'd encountered before.
"Five."
"How many have you failed?"
"Three." She had to strain to hear it.
She closed her eyes. "Potential, eh, General?"
"I think so. The missions he has failed were all gundam pilot related. One gundam pilot in particular." Victor said easily.
"Really? Which one?" she asked demurely.
"The one they call Anna Maxwell. She's a smart one, she is."
Anna bit her lip. "I see. Very well, I will take your offer and conditions, if you agree to one of my own."
Victor sat back down. "Fire away."
"If I take and mentor this... boy... I want him out of OWN. If I take him, I take full responsibility for him and his actions. I don't want him affiliated in any way to OWN or it's proceedings. And I want to be hired directly to you. I want no part of the OWN group. This is simply how to make a living. That is my condition."
Victor nodded slowly. "An absolute yes to you being hired only to me. You will be in no way held responsible for any actions OWN takes as a whole. As for his affiliation, that is up to Cavel. He took the blood pledge, however, if he wishes to be trained under you, I will release him from it."
They looked at him.
"It's your call, Junior." She said softly.
His head shot up and he looked straight at her. The way she said it... But there was no trace of the gundam girl in her. He considered his options for a moment. This was a way out, and a way to get training too. Why not take it? "All right." He murmured.
Anna reached out her hand to General Victor. "It's a deal then."
Chase would never forgiver her for this, Wufei wouldn't -not that she cared what he thought anymore-, Heero never would, and Duo probably wouldn't. What's a girl to do?
"We're going to run out of gas before they do, Chase," Heero muttered as he found his way to the passenger's seat. "How is our gas doing?"
Chase allowed her eyes to wander to the fuel gage. "I don't suppose you've thought of a plan?" she asked as she swerved again.
"Over there."
Chase looked to where her husband was pointing. "That's just an open field! The only thing it would accomplish would be slowing the car down and allowing them to gain speed on us."
"Just drive, Chase, and get out when I tell you."
Chase nearly facefaulted. "NANI?! AND LEAVE MY CAR BEHIND?! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO GET THIS?!"
"Chase, it's the car or us."
The young artist let out a grunt of displeasure at the thought of leaving her car they had deemed the "tomato" behind for OWN to destroy.
"Just let me get some stuff together. I saw a ditch that we can drive over, hop out, and hide in."
"Brilliant plan! Then they can catch us when we're cornered in some ditch IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE!" Chase half yelled sarcastically.
Heero glared slightly as he pulled some bags from the back.
"Get my sketches."
"They'll be extra baggage we don't need."
"Those are my life, Yuy," Chase growled. "If you don't grab them, I will. In the past few days I have lost everything and I will not loose that."
"Then get them and jump. That ditch is coming up," he responded, doing his best to ignore the harsh tones of the woman next to him. So much had changed...
She nodded and grabbed her sketching bag. "Let's go," she said as she jammed the gas so that the car wouldn't slow.
He nodded and they hopped out of the car.
Heero and Chase hit the ground and rolled. "Stay down," Heero ordered as he crept towards the ditch only a few feet away. "But move."
Chase growled something unintelligible, and probably not in English as she followed him.
Heero lay back in the ditch and surveyed what they had managed to salvage. He looked up when he heard the gunshots and the sound of the car's demise as one bullet hit the tank. He looked over to see Chase's stone cold face as she looked on to one of her formally prized possessions.
"I'm sorry, Chase-chan," he offered.
She shrugged. "I got my sketches," she answered with a slight smile. "Now I'm going to avenge my car."
Heero chuckled slightly as the petite woman grinned. "Heaven help them."
Chase nodded as she lay her head gently on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about my outburst back there. It's just... So much has changed. It's hard to keep things in perspective anymore. I mean... You were dead not long ago, in my mind anyway. And now here you are - here we are, sitting like old times, just trying to live to complete the mission and save the world." She giggled slightly. "But it's not like old times. Anna and I have a life here..."
"I know," Heero said. "And after all this is over, I'll find a way to get that life back for you."
Chase blinked, tears forming in her brown eyes.
"With or without me. It... doesn't matter... Whatever makes you happy, Chase-chan."
Chase flung her arms around the man next to her and sobbed openly, letting all the restrained emotions from the past few days go. Heero put his arms around her carefully. "I'm not use to you crying, Chase," he whispered, "but it seems you do it far more here..."
She looked up and smiled. "I never had anything I had to be strong for, so I stopped."
He smiled. "Cry. It's okay."
She nodded and lay her head against his shoulder. "Is this the hotel?"
"For tonight, yes."
She nodded sleepily. "'Kay. G'night, Heero."
"Good night, Chase-chan."
The blond yawned widely. "When this is over," she started.
"Yes?"
"We'll finally be together. And nothing can break us apart, right?"
Heero looked away at the starry night. "Right..." he responded, unsure as he said the words.
Chase didn't notice his lack of confidence in the statement. "That's good," she mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.
Catherine paced the hotel room Trowa had picked out for her. She couldn't figure out the reasons behind her brother's actions, or his "big picture". All of it was wrong; he wasn't the boy she'd grown to love during the first war. That Trowa was calm, bright and liked his solitude, whom had then accepted the other pilots as his friends. Now he was cynical, harsh, cruel, and had made his former friends his enemies. Not to mention, he was wanted by the Preventers for criminal actions. There wasn't a lot she could do. She didn't work for the government, or the Preventers, and she didn't have any contact with any of the gundam pilots anymore. She stopped pacing and picked up the hotel phone. But there was one contact she did still have. Slowly, she dialed the number.
"Hello? Yes, I'd like to talk to Lady Une. Yes, it's important. I have information on the whereabouts of Trowa Barton. I'm sure, No! It's not a prank. Yes, I'll hold." Catherine took in a deep breath. She hoped she was doing the right thing.
"Lady Une? Yes, my name is Catherine Bloom, do you remember me?"
On the other end of the line, Lady Une pushed up her glasses in surprise. "Of course, Ms. Bloom. What can I do for you?"
"Forgive me, this is rather awkward. I know that you're looking for my brother?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so, Ms. Bloom." Lady Une sighed. It was only the biggest thing going on among the Preventer agents. Heero had quit, and he was her best agent. They had had no success whatsoever in foiling any of OWN's plots.
"Well, the thing is, I have information." Catherine said quietly.
Lady Une sat up straight. "What kind of information?"
"I know what city he's in right now, and what hotel. I don't know where his main base of operations is. I was blindfolded when I was taken there earlier."
"Where are you now, Ms. Bloom?"
"Back in the hotel."
"Where is Trowa Barton?" Lady Une asked as gently as possible. This could be vital. If they could get to Barton before the all out battles began, it could save a huge number of lives.
Catherine paused. She felt like the traitor, turning over her own brother, but what else could she do? "He's in Berlin at the Grand Crown hotel. I'm in a hotel outside of Berlin."
"I take it he's here?" Lady Une was still having a little difficulty believing that these people had infiltrated the past.
"Yes. Last I knew."
"Thank you, Catherine. I hope you know what this means to us." Lady Une told her, already dispatching agents in the Berlin sector.
"Just...Can you keep him alive?" she asked. She'd always feel guilty if anything happened to him.
"We'll do our best. He may not even be there by now. Thank you."
"Of course, Lady Une. Good bye."
"Good bye."
There was a soft click, and Catherine laid the phone back in the cradle. "Just don't plan on dying, little brother." She whispered.
When you wanted something done, most of the time it was better to do it yourself. That was what Anna kept telling herself as she stalked quietly down the halls of the palace serving as OWN's headquarters. It hadn't taken her long to find out where it was, not with a little hacking using the laptop. Once she found it, she found out that a man in the organization named General Victor was looking for an assassin. It was her lucky day.
Unfortunately for Victor, working for him was not her main objective. Her main objective was to get as close to Trowa Barton as possible, so she could find out what the heck was going on. However, Trowa would know who she was as soon as he saw her. So Anna changed her physical appearance using the laptop. She had shortened her hair to shoulder length, made it black, and put in deep grey contacts. She took about three inches off her height and the illusion was complete. And now she was going to be hired by the enemy.
She pulled down the sleeves of her emerald green turtle neck as she reached the desk of what she assumed was Victor's secretary.
"Can I help you, Miss?" the girl asked. She couldn't have been more than sixteen.
"Yes. I have an appointment with General Victor." Anna said quietly.
"Right down the hall. He's expecting you." The girl replied amiably.
Anna nodded her thanks and disappeared down the aforesaid hall. She stopped in front of the office door she assumed was Victor's and knocked.
"Enter."
She did.
He glanced up from his papers and stood quickly. "Oh, please, come in. I didn't realize I would be in the company of a lady. I am General Victor."
"Yes I know. Does my being a female surprise you?" Anna said. She tried to remain as cool as possible.
He smiled coyly as she took her seat. "Yes, actually it does. I haven't had a female try for the job before."
"Well, what can I say? I'm one of a kind." Anna smiled back.
Victor nodded and sat down. "What's your name?"
"Hoshimawari Mei. People who save time call me Mei." She answered.
"Interesting name. You do know what it means?" Victor said, leaning forward.
"Of course. That's why I chose it."
"One's dark star or destiny. Very well chosen. Do you have any references?"
Anna smirked. "Not any that are still among the living."
"Any relatives?"
"No."
"Friends?"
"Yes."
"Colleagues?"
"No."
"Experience?"
"Plenty."
"Proof?"
"Gravestones, maybe."
"Enemies?"
"Of course."
"How many?"
"Not that many."
"A threat to security?"
"Yours or mine?"
Victor laughed. "Touche." He paused. "Are you good?"
"I'm alive." Anna said quickly.
"You're hired." Victor said, settling back in his chair.
Anna arched an eyebrow. "Oh really?"
Victor nodded. "Yes. Anyone I've asked before has answered that question with `the best' `of course' or some other macho thing like that. I need someone who isn't so cocky they'll get killed in five minutes, but someone confident enough to get the job done. I think you fill that nicely."
Anna smiled. "Well thank you."
"Now there's the matter of price."
"I'm easy to please."
"I need you full time, so you're there when I have a specific job."
"That's fine. My schedule's open."
"Good, good. How about an opening price of one million?"
Anna tried not to let her eyes bug out of her head. "Sounds reasonable." She murmured.
"And an apartment..."
Anna nodded.
"And a trainee."
She blinked. "A trainee?"
Victor smiled and poured them both a drink. Anna accepted and leaned back. "Yes," he said, "a trainee. There's a young man who I think has great potential. However, due to the fact that we have large classes for training, he didn't get the one on one that I'd like him to have. I was hoping you would provide that."
Anna stared at him for a moment. She hadn't counted on that. "I'd have to see him."
"Of course." He pushed a button on his phone. "Lydia? Send Cavel in please."
Anna wanted to die laughing. He couldn't be serious. A knock rapped on the door.
"Enter!" Victor called.
Both Anna and Victor stood, observing the new comer. Sure enough, it was Sparky, in the flesh.
"Yes sir?" he asked nervously.
"Cavel, this is Miss Hoshimawari Mei. I'm hoping she'll be your mentor, so to speak."
He turned to face her. "How do you do, Ms. Mei?"
She sized him up. Apparently somebody hadn't been happy with certain events -the gundam pilots escape most likely- because he had the faint traces of a fistfight. She stood directly in front of him.
"How old are you?" she asked.
"Sixteen, almost seventeen."
"Any friends, family?"
"One friend, I have no family left." He said quietly.
She glanced at Victor. "Are you good?"
Silence. But, she was used to that from him.
"Answer the lady, Cadet." Victor ordered.
"Not very." He whispered.
"How many missions have you had?" she asked. This didn't sound like the confident boy she'd encountered before.
"Five."
"How many have you failed?"
"Three." She had to strain to hear it.
She closed her eyes. "Potential, eh, General?"
"I think so. The missions he has failed were all gundam pilot related. One gundam pilot in particular." Victor said easily.
"Really? Which one?" she asked demurely.
"The one they call Anna Maxwell. She's a smart one, she is."
Anna bit her lip. "I see. Very well, I will take your offer and conditions, if you agree to one of my own."
Victor sat back down. "Fire away."
"If I take and mentor this... boy... I want him out of OWN. If I take him, I take full responsibility for him and his actions. I don't want him affiliated in any way to OWN or it's proceedings. And I want to be hired directly to you. I want no part of the OWN group. This is simply how to make a living. That is my condition."
Victor nodded slowly. "An absolute yes to you being hired only to me. You will be in no way held responsible for any actions OWN takes as a whole. As for his affiliation, that is up to Cavel. He took the blood pledge, however, if he wishes to be trained under you, I will release him from it."
They looked at him.
"It's your call, Junior." She said softly.
His head shot up and he looked straight at her. The way she said it... But there was no trace of the gundam girl in her. He considered his options for a moment. This was a way out, and a way to get training too. Why not take it? "All right." He murmured.
Anna reached out her hand to General Victor. "It's a deal then."
Chase would never forgiver her for this, Wufei wouldn't -not that she cared what he thought anymore-, Heero never would, and Duo probably wouldn't. What's a girl to do?
"We're going to run out of gas before they do, Chase," Heero muttered as he found his way to the passenger's seat. "How is our gas doing?"
Chase allowed her eyes to wander to the fuel gage. "I don't suppose you've thought of a plan?" she asked as she swerved again.
"Over there."
Chase looked to where her husband was pointing. "That's just an open field! The only thing it would accomplish would be slowing the car down and allowing them to gain speed on us."
"Just drive, Chase, and get out when I tell you."
Chase nearly facefaulted. "NANI?! AND LEAVE MY CAR BEHIND?! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO GET THIS?!"
"Chase, it's the car or us."
The young artist let out a grunt of displeasure at the thought of leaving her car they had deemed the "tomato" behind for OWN to destroy.
"Just let me get some stuff together. I saw a ditch that we can drive over, hop out, and hide in."
"Brilliant plan! Then they can catch us when we're cornered in some ditch IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE!" Chase half yelled sarcastically.
Heero glared slightly as he pulled some bags from the back.
"Get my sketches."
"They'll be extra baggage we don't need."
"Those are my life, Yuy," Chase growled. "If you don't grab them, I will. In the past few days I have lost everything and I will not loose that."
"Then get them and jump. That ditch is coming up," he responded, doing his best to ignore the harsh tones of the woman next to him. So much had changed...
She nodded and grabbed her sketching bag. "Let's go," she said as she jammed the gas so that the car wouldn't slow.
He nodded and they hopped out of the car.
Heero and Chase hit the ground and rolled. "Stay down," Heero ordered as he crept towards the ditch only a few feet away. "But move."
Chase growled something unintelligible, and probably not in English as she followed him.
Heero lay back in the ditch and surveyed what they had managed to salvage. He looked up when he heard the gunshots and the sound of the car's demise as one bullet hit the tank. He looked over to see Chase's stone cold face as she looked on to one of her formally prized possessions.
"I'm sorry, Chase-chan," he offered.
She shrugged. "I got my sketches," she answered with a slight smile. "Now I'm going to avenge my car."
Heero chuckled slightly as the petite woman grinned. "Heaven help them."
Chase nodded as she lay her head gently on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about my outburst back there. It's just... So much has changed. It's hard to keep things in perspective anymore. I mean... You were dead not long ago, in my mind anyway. And now here you are - here we are, sitting like old times, just trying to live to complete the mission and save the world." She giggled slightly. "But it's not like old times. Anna and I have a life here..."
"I know," Heero said. "And after all this is over, I'll find a way to get that life back for you."
Chase blinked, tears forming in her brown eyes.
"With or without me. It... doesn't matter... Whatever makes you happy, Chase-chan."
Chase flung her arms around the man next to her and sobbed openly, letting all the restrained emotions from the past few days go. Heero put his arms around her carefully. "I'm not use to you crying, Chase," he whispered, "but it seems you do it far more here..."
She looked up and smiled. "I never had anything I had to be strong for, so I stopped."
He smiled. "Cry. It's okay."
She nodded and lay her head against his shoulder. "Is this the hotel?"
"For tonight, yes."
She nodded sleepily. "'Kay. G'night, Heero."
"Good night, Chase-chan."
The blond yawned widely. "When this is over," she started.
"Yes?"
"We'll finally be together. And nothing can break us apart, right?"
Heero looked away at the starry night. "Right..." he responded, unsure as he said the words.
Chase didn't notice his lack of confidence in the statement. "That's good," she mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.
