Chapter Fifty-Four: Women in Red

          As Anna descended her steps to leave for the ball, Wufei remembered the first time he'd seen her in red.

They had gone to a charity ball undercover, not unlike what they were doing that evening. There had only been four of them on the mission: Anna, Wufei, Quatre, and Trowa. They'd wound up drawing straws to see who would be Anna's 'date' and who would go with a 'friend.' He'd gotten her.

          She had been in white that night in a spaghetti strap gown that made her look ethereal. It billowed slightly at the bottom and she'd worn diamond earrings, if he remembered right.

          They had danced, and being the sport that she was, danced with Quatre and even Trowa. It began as a beautiful evening, and it ended in a bloody massacre.

          It started with limited ground fire from men in Treize's group that had infiltrated the benefit. There had been a massive hand-to-hand battle as the guests fled and Treize's men had been revealed. The four pilots had quickly realized they hadn't been prepped for the mission as well as they had thought. After they ran out of rounds, they had been forced to resort to knives, swords, anything they could get their hands on.

          Trowa had been hit by gunfire in the arm, and Anna by a knife slash to the upper chest/shoulder area.

          It ended, and they were all extremely lucky to have survived the attack. After establishing that all four of them were alive and relatively unhurt, Quatre had wept at the damage they had done. Trowa had pulled him away from the carnage, murmuring things that Wufei hadn't heard.

          Anna had fled into the field outside the hall, her dress completely crimson stained, her hair flying wildly around her, tears on her face.

          That had been the first time he'd seen her in red. She'd been terrifyingly beautiful. It was the first time he'd kissed her, too.   

          "You look amazing." Wufei said, extending his arm for her to take.

          She smiled. "Why, thank you. I tried."

          "You succeeded." He said.

          Anna waved him off with a smile and pulled out the laptop. "This will take us to a little town about fifteen minutes away from Peacemillion Hall. Most of tonight's guests are staying in this town, and whoever 'Her Majesty' is has decided to provide limos for us."

          Wufei nodded. Anna paused, and looked at him.

          "You haven't worn that in a very long time." She said quietly.

          Wufei glanced down at his outfit. "Do you approve?"

          Anna nodded slowly. "Of course. It's gorgeous."

          "You do know you're the only person I'd let get away with saying something like that."

          She laughed. "Yes."

          He was wearing a traditional Chinese ceremonial outfit. The high neck and sleeve cuffs were trimmed in a red that matched Anna's outfit. The same color red was used on the jacket on extremely detailed dragons that were set off against a black background.

          Anna nodded again. "All right. Let's be off."

          The room was flooded with light, and they were gone.

          They found the hotel in the small town without difficulty and were taken to their limo after Anna showed the man in charge their invitation. She heard him make a remark to somebody that Wufei certainly didn't look American, but one never knew these days.

          They waited in the car for ten minutes or so before they began the journey to Peacemillion Hall.

          "Something's happened to Milliardo. Otherwise they wouldn't be using this place." Anna said quietly.

          Wufei nodded. "Duo said that he'd been taken and injured in the process. These people know what they're doing."

          Anna rubbed her shoulder absently. "Victor was just the beginning."

          Wufei reached over and pulled her hand away from the healing wound. "So what happened to your patient?" he asked.

          "Jack? He's in Tokyo, staying with Meg."

          "Do they know each other?"

          "Not well. I suppose you should know…"

          "Know what?"

          Anna looked at him, dark blue eyes glowing in the semi-dark. "Trowa is alive."

          "That's impossible, Anna." Wufei said quietly.

          "No. No it isn't. You would have said the same thing about Heero and Duo, but they came back."

          "It would take that same drug to save him."

          "It was that same drug."

          "How is that possible? Dr. J died years ago."

          "When Heero rescued Duo from Victor, Meg was with him. They had to go to Dr. J's laboratory to revive Duo, and Meg found the drug. She used it on Jack, and she used it on Trowa. Jack's with her because Trowa left him a letter. He's alive, and he'll come back."

          Wufei ran a hand through his hair. "This is insane. Who all knows about this?"

          "Meg, Jack, you and I."

          "No one else should know. Not now. Trowa could wind up being our only hope of winning this. Do you remember when I told you that I was invited to be a part of OWN?"

          "Yes." Anna said.

          "Anna, Trowa created a gundam. It's massive and it's incredible, but there's a catch."

          "I know he built one, but we don't know where it is. What catch?"

          "I don't know what catch, I just know there is one. He and his right hand were the only people who knew the details."

          "Jack was his right hand." Anna said.

          "Right. So if Jack knows what the catch is, we might be able to win. But OWN still has this gundam somewhere."

          She nodded. "We also have Ryuujin to deal with. He healed at an alarming rate, Wufei. Something about him isn't human."

          "Have we decided he's a traitor?"

          "I don't know. He's dangerous, of that we can be sure."

          The car stopped and a moment later their door was opened.

          "Mr. And Mrs. Maxwell, welcome to Peacemillion hall."

          Wufei stepped out of the car and reached back to give Anna his hand. She took it, and carefully got out of the limo. She inhaled sharply and Wufei nodded.

          "I don't remember this place being this big…" She murmured.

          "Probably because we were so focused on other things." Wufei said. He thanked and tipped their chauffer and led Anna up the marble steps to the front entrance. 

          The butler took their names once they entered the hall and led them forward into the ballroom.

          "Presenting Mr. Duo Maxwell and his wife Mrs. Anna Maxwell."

          Several other couples all ready there looked up and exchanged nods with the newly introduced couple. Wufei led Anna across the room to a corner that was not so crowded.

          "It's just like I remember it. Fei-chan, if they took Peacemillion Hall, where are Noin and her children?" she whispered.

          "Quatre sent word to Dorothy to take Catherine Barton and Noin's children to his estate in Northern Europe. As for Noin herself, I don't know. Duo didn't mention anything about her capture. She might be with Lady Une, but I haven't heard word from her either."

          "After this we need to start feeling around and make sure all our sources are still in one piece. We've been so caught up in our own little soap opera we haven't been looking at the big picture." Anna muttered.

          "I hardly call taking out a major factor of OWN, loosing a gundam pilot, almost loosing you, and having two time periods on the brink of war a soap opera."

          "Nevertheless…"

          The butler moved away from the outer hall and stood by the base of the stairs that descended into the ballroom. "All of tonight's guests have arrived. Therefore, it is my pleasure to present the leader of OWN and soon to be leader of the world, the Lady Trinity Barton!"

          The crowd erupted in applause and the lights dimmed before a spotlight was placed at the top of the stairs. Trinity Barton stood proudly at it's peak, her blonde hair falling past her shoulders, her green eyes analyzing everything in the room. She smiled prettily, causing the applause to grow. She wore a strapless, fitted gown in a color that could only be described as blood red.

          Trinity glanced up at her escort. "I'm very please you managed to find a way to be at my side tonight." She murmured.

          Drizzik brushed away dark brown bangs and gazed at her with clear blue eyes instead of his normal red. "Anything to keep my lady happy."

          As they began to descend the stairs, Trinity spotted a young woman in a high collared red gown watching her carefully. Trinity smiled, turning it into a half smirk, and the woman nodded her head ever so slightly.

          "I believe I have located the Maxwells. You know what to do."

          "Yes, my lady."

          The band began playing a lively waltz when the Lady reached the bottom and couples moved to the dance floor. Drizzik left Trinity's arm to acquire his target. The Maxwells would not be leaving the party.

          Drizzik glided over to the young woman chatting to whom he assumed to be her husband. He knew that the woman had to be Anna Maxwell, since he'd seen the other girl from pictures his brother had. He recognized the man from the pictures they had obtained of the five male gundam pilots. They had gotten pictures, but no names. This man wasn't the one he'd pegged as Duo Maxwell, but that's what happened when one made assumptions Drizzik smirked.

          "Ms. Anna Maxwell, I presume?" he said in his baritone voice.

          Anna and Wufei looked up at the address.

          "Yes?" Anna replied. She studied him carefully. There was something familiar about him.

          Drizzik bowed and kissed her hand and she half curtsied as was custom. "My name is Drizzik. I work for the Lady, and she thought you might like to dance."

          Anna curved her lips into her trademark all-knowing smile. "I take it you are more than her escort?"

          "As you wish to think."

          "Well, Lord Drizzik, I'm flattered. However, I believe my husband wished the first dance. After that if you like…"

          Drizzik smiled. "I shall return for your hand."

          As he swirled away, Wufei bristled. "He totally ignored me."

          "That was the point. Alienate the husband and lure away the wife. If I had gone I'd probably be dead within five minutes. This way, I've baited him."

          "Baited him? You make him sound like an oversized trout."

          Anna socked him in the arm. "But now I'm more than a target. I'm an interest. Now he wants to know about me before he kills me. Every assassin's downfall."

          Wufei rolled his eyes. "Women. Shall we?"

          Anna grinned and he led her onto the dance floor.

          Trinity watched the dancing couple as Drizzik came up to her. "Why?" she murmured.

          "In order not to be killed on the spot by her ruffled husband. I get the feeling he's rather protective of what's his. After he dances, I dance. Then I'll get what you want."

          She smiled. "Good. Millardo Peacecraft is still secure, is he not?"

          "He is."

          She nodded. "After tonight, contact your brother. I have another mission for him. In the meantime, if you don't mind, I think I'd like to dance as well."

          Drizzik kissed her hand and they joined the couples on the dance floor.

          Several dances later Trinity gave Drizzik the nod and he slowly moved them towards the Maxwells. When they got closer Wufei and Anna stopped dancing to acknowledge the Lady. Drizzik and Trinity followed formalities.

          "I'm very glad you could come. I would have understood had you been unavailable." Trinity said pleasantly.

          "Well, we figured that when one received a personal invitation from the future Queen of the World that we should come." Anna returned.

          Trinity smiled thinly. "I prefer to be called it's leader. I do not wish in any way to be associated with Relena Peacecraft, or her temporary reign."

          "Of course." Wufei said.

          "Shall we trade for the next dance?" Trinity asked. "If you don't mind sharing your husband, that is."

          Anna glanced at Wufei. "It's all right with me."

          Wufei nodded slowly. "Sounds fine."

          The music started and the couples split off.

          "So how long have you been married?" Drizzik asked her.

          Anna thought for a moment. "Seven years, I guess."

          'You married young."

          "We were at war, Lord Drizzik. It was marry then or risk not being married at all."

          "You've never had children?"

          "I'm expecting my first."

          "Congratulations."

          "Thank you." Anna said, realizing that the only two people that knew were a good friend and possibly a greater enemy.

          "You know, I should kill you here and now. It was you that murdered Victor."

          "If you killed me here and now you'd loose half your following. I mean, after all, it would look bad if you killed a pregnant woman in the middle of a waltz."

          He laughed. "True enough."  They moved off the dance floor and onto the adjacent balcony.

          Drizzik leaned against the railing. "I'm a cold blooded killer, I've murdered thousands of people."

          "I don't find that surprising."

          He lifted an eyebrow. "No?"

          Anna leaned her back against the railing. "I'm a cold blooded killer. I've murdered hundreds, possibly thousands of people." She repeated. She smiled at his puzzled expression. "I'm a gundam pilot. You know that. I killed countless OZ soldiers from inside my beast, and I killed countless more on individual missions. Death is no stranger to me. I married him and I'm bearing his son. I lost that life and began another, but I've all ready broken my Hippocratic oath as a doctor. It couldn't be helped." 

          "There's a difference, Ms. Maxwell."

          "Really?"

          Drizzik smirked. "I enjoy it. I have no regrets."

          "Then yes. That would make us entirely different."

          His eyes flashed, and Anna saw their true color. In that instant, she knew why he looked familiar. They were the same color eyes that Ryuujin had when he was in fury mode. She saw it in the stance, the manner, the way of thinking. Drizzik was just older and more secure in his abilities.

          "Your brother takes after you." She said finally.

          Drizzik nodded. "Very good. I was hoping you'd pick up on that. You're not an easy woman to fool."

          "Thank you. Answer me this: Whose side is he on?"

          Drizzik grinned darkly. "Ask me that in twenty-four hours, Anna, and I will give you an honest answer. You are not a woman to be charmed into death, no; I will face you on the battlefield." He held out his hand. "We have been away too long."

          "Indeed." Anna had a very ominous feeling about Ryuujin at that moment. The sooner they found him, the better.

          "I really am surprised only the two of you came. I would have suspected this an opportune moment for all the gundam pilots to make an appearance." Trinity said.

          "Everyone else was busy. Besides, I'm sure you have apt security had we launched any sort of attack."

          "Yes, apt is one word for it. I really was hoping Mr. Barton would show up, seeing as how we share a name."

          "I'm afraid he has both feet in the grave."

          "How sad."

          "Isn't it? However, I'm tempted to think you had a hand in that." Wufei said. "Did you send Ryuujin after him?"

          "Ryuujin? Can't say that I did. I'm afraid his missions only began recently."

          "So he does work for you."

          "He accepted a mission, however, I haven't received word that he completed it. Until then, I can't say that he does." Trinity said.

          "You do know that if you proceed with this, you will be brought down. We didn't loose the last two wars, we won't loose this one."

          "Please don't think me foolish, Mr. Maxwell. I'm not some naïve child like Marimea, nor am I looking to rule the world for the betterment of mankind as Treize did. What Treize did was honorable in it's own way. What Marimea did was loyal. What I am doing is out of purely selfish motivations. I wish to rule the world, Mr. Maxwell. That is what I intend on doing."

          "You think what Treize was honorable?" Wufei asked quietly.

          "Yes. His motives were honorable at any rate. He wanted to make the universe better by self-rule. All he wound up doing was greatly decreasing the population." Trinity said. "I don't intend to be a cruel dictator, Mr. Maxwell. I have no desire to go down in history as another Hitler, or Napoleon, or Alexander, or Treize. However, I'm not stupid enough to think that I'll make everything all better by a monarchy."

          "You should be a very formidable opponent, Ms. Barton." Wufei said momentarily. "You hide your weaknesses very well."

          "That I do, Mr. Maxwell. That I do."

          "What was his mission?" Wufei asked. He saw Anna and Drizzik reenter the ballroom.

          Trinity leaned over and whispered something in his ear. His eyes widened and she smiled politely. "I'll understand if you wish to leave now. However, I assure you that you'll be far too late."

          Wufei whirled to look at Anna and she tilted her head slightly. He grabbed her arm as she approached. "We need to go." He murmured.

          "What?" Anna asked, confused.

          Trinity nodded. "We weren't going to let you live tonight, but I think it'll be more enjoyable if we meet again at a later time. I hope you enjoyed yourselves this evening. Adieu."

          Drizzik took Trinity's arm as Wufei hurried Anna out to their car.

          "What is wrong with you, Wufei?" she demanded as he shoved her into the limo.

          "Ryuujin accepted a mission from Trinity."

          "I know that. You're point is?"

          "She sent him to kill Chase."

          Anna shut her eyes. "Oh, Lord…"

          Trinity sighed happily as they left. "Well, we got information at least."

          Drizzik nodded. "That wasn't Duo Maxwell with her."

          "I didn't think so. It begs the question, then, where is the real Mr. Maxwell? And why would she bring someone other than her husband?"

          Drizzik frowned. "I don't know. She said she was pregnant, and I didn't sense any great stress around her, so I don't think it was marital problems."

          Trinity's green eyes narrowed. "Go find out if Ryuujin's accomplished what he set out to do. Either way, send him after Peacecraft's children next."

          "Yes, my Lady."

          "I have the rest of my guests to charm. I'll see you soon."

          Drizzik bowed and Trinity returned to her people. Eliminating the pilots was taking far too long for her liking. If things didn't change soon, she'd be going after them herself.