AN: First off if you sent me a review, comments, etc., I would like to thank you for your support. Because of you I will keep writing. Secondly this is chapter 11! I never thought that I would make it this far, but I have. I promise that I will finish this story one way or another. However once again I am asking for reviews or comments if you wish for another chapter to be posted. Thank you!
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the characters. I do own some of the other characters in here such as Bret Mavica so please do not steal my ideas.
"Relena are you ready?" asked Zechs gently to his younger sister.
Relena took a deep breath. She could do this. She would do this. The fate of both the colonies and earth was lying on her shoulders. She was determined to make sure things would go the way she wanted them to.
"Yes, open the door."
Zechs nodded to Trowa, who nodded in reply as he opened the door to the car and stepped out. He offered his hand to Relena and helped her out of the car. Immediately, bright lights flashed all around her and she could hear hundreds of voices shooting questions towards her.
"Minister Darlian, what comments do you have to make about yesterday's attacks on earth?"
"Vice Minister, do you believe that the organization behind the attacks will be controlled before war results?"
"What about the colonies, is it true that the people behind these attacks are actually colonist looking for power and freedom from the ESUN?"
Relena pushed through the crowd of reporters with the help of Trowa and her brother. Quatre followed her at her side reassuringly. Behind the two of them walked Heero who scanned the throng of people with the eyes of a hawk.
Relena stopped suddenly as a voice shouted out to her,
"Minister Darlian, all we keep hearing is no comment, no comment. Are you going to keep hiding this situation in the dark forever?"
Relena turned to look at a man who looked no older than she did. He was the one who had asked the question. His voice was tainted with anger and as he spoke to her, Relena felt hatred directed towards her.
"Some people," continued the young reporter, "believe that the peace with the Earth and colonies has already been diminished. What say you to this?"
Relena stared at the young man, hiding the emotion that was burning within her with a mask that she held up during circumstances such as these,
"We are not at war yet. And as I recall, people of both the earth and colonies still wish for the peace we had to continue. As for commenting on this, I shall assure you all that once we learn more about this situation, the people will hear all that they need to know."
Relena nodded to the rest of the crowd then continued to make her way toward a large gray building where an important meeting between the colonial members of the ESUN was about to begin. Relena looked back once at the reporter who had just questioned her. The man was staring at her, hatred evidently still burning in his eyes. She shuddered inside.
Heero noticing the look in Relena's eyes as she took one last look at the, in his opinion "baka", reporter, turned at shot a death glare at the man. The reporter shrunk back terrified at the bodyguard's cold Prussian eyes.
Finally they reached the building. As they made their way through the main lobby, more people surrounded the young Vice Foreign Minister. They were mainly Ambassadors, and representatives of the colonies. Relena assured them all that she would answer their questions during the meeting.
Once inside the meeting room Relena and Quatre took their seats. Heero took a place by Relena's side while Trowa positioned himself by the doorway near Quatre. Zechs was posted outside the conference room with several other Preventers. They had decided to take no chances this time.
The meeting however passed without any problems save several arguments that arose between several old men. They were abruptly brought to a halt though when Relena stepped in.
Heero noticed the way Relena acted when she was around these people. She had such dignity and manners. She was calm, passive, and extremely intelligent. She always had been so in the first place. Heero had always had the highest respect for her. But, here, this was indeed her playing field. The warfront that she attacked day in and day out with such skill. And by the look in her eyes, though she was extremely tired, Heero could tell that she loved every moment of it.
Preventer Space port…
Wufei stood at the docking bay waiting for the shuttle to take him to L1 where he would begin his investigation undercover. All he carried was a brown duffel bag, which held a few possessions. Commander Une had all ready given him last minute orders. Although the mission was dangerous, in Wufei's mind he saw it as a piece of cake.
"I see that you are ready to go," said a quiet voice from behind him.
The pilot turned around to see Sally. Her eyes were downcast.
"That I am," he replied curtly.
"Well, all I wanted to say was… well take care of yourself Chang."
"Humph! Woman why do you worry yourself so much?"
At this comment Sally looked up at Wufei's face her eyes burning.
"Damn your stubborn pride! All I came to say was goodbye and take care! I just wanted you to know that I do care for your well being considering we're partners and all! But, no, every time I try to be your friend you come back at me with a sexist remark!"
Wufei stood dumbfounded by her sudden outburst.
"Oooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh!" seethed Sally as she began to stomp away from him. But Wufei's next words made her stop dead in her tracks.
"Sally, thank you… for caring about me. But I'm telling you now, that this isn't goodbye, not yet." He turned and walked to his awaiting shuttle, but not before catching a glimpse of the deep blush that was covering Sally's cheeks. He smirked to himself.
4 days later…
Duo was conversing with Howard. Things were going according to plan so far. Plus, thanks to Quatre, the Magnuacs had arrived adding to the crew. Thanks to them they were ahead of schedule and the Gundams would be ready within a couple of days. Also, Relena had been upholding her end of the bargain as well managing to keep the people of Earth and the colonies from declaring war just yet. Yes, things were definitely going well. But Duo was not about to get his hopes up yet.
"Howard, right now, we need to get someone to double check the buster rifle of the Wing Zero. The other day it was malfunctioning and so were the new planetary defenses that I just installed on all of the Gundams."
"I just finished with the Wing Zero," said Rasheed as he walked up to the two men wiping away the grease from his hands.
"Jesus what would we do without you guys?" exclaimed Howard.
"You would be struggling to keep up with your schedule," replied Rasheed cheerfully.
"We sure would," muttered Duo.
"Besides," continued the Magnuac, "Any friends of Master Quatre are our friends as well."
"Well," said Duo, "I'm going to go find Hilde."
Duo walked through the massive working bay in search of the young woman. He found her at the foot of Deathscythe fast asleep. Duo smiled as he approached her small form. She looked so peaceful and calm. He knelt down beside her and gently shook her shoulders.
Hilde whimpered slightly, and then fluttered her blue eyes open. To her surprise she was met with violet eyes and a cheerful smile. Suddenly Hilde remembered where she was. She furrowed her brow in worry and looked away from Duo, upset that she had fallen asleep when they had work to do.
"Sorry, I guess I didn't realize how tired I was," she said sheepishly.
"Don't worry about it babe. I think we could all use a few more hours of sleep."
"Yeah, but that's no excuse. We have work that needs to be done. I shouldn't have drifted off…" Duo grabbed Hilde gently by the shoulders and looked into her eyes.
"Hilde, you're fine."
She smiled at him warmly; a smile that lit up her entire face.
"Yes but I should be getting back to work, just like you, Maxwell."
She shoved him aside playfully as she rose to her feet. Grabbing a box of tools she began to climb into the cockpit of Deathscythe. Duo smirked, quite amused as he watched Hilde set to work. In the past he had been the only person who had ever dared to work on his Gundam. But things were different now.
Duo crawled up to the cockpit to join Hilde. She was behind the pilot's seat apparently engaged with something of importance. Probably some last minute adjustments thought Duo to himself. All of the Gundams were nearly complete. Thanks to the Magnuacs. Their skills were quite commendable. Plus thanks to Quatre's longtime alliance with them, they had agreed to use their piloting skills to join forces with the Preventers if the need were to arise.
Duo gripped the controls of Deathscythe. Instantly he felt himself change. Memories flooded through his mind. His face grew serious and his violet eyes lost their cheerfulness. Duo also knew that in that instant, Death reunited with him as a companion once more.
Hilde, in the mean time, was currently engaged in fixing the planetary defense system. A small hatch that was located behind the pilot's seat of the Gundam was where she found the wires that she needed to work with. She dug around looking for what she needed. Yet what she found made her stop her work abruptly.
"Duo, Duo come here and look at this."
Upon hearing Hilde's voice, Duo snapped out of his death-like trance. He crawled out of his seat and crouched down next to Hilde.
"What is it babe?"
"Remember how you said you could have sworn the planetary defense system was installed correctly?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, I think I figured out why it's not working," replied Hilde quietly as she pointed to the mass of wires inside the hatch.
Duo followed to where her slender white finger was pointing. He immediately froze. Some of the wires had been snapped in two. And from what Duo could tell, the act had been committed intentionally.
Relena's dreary mood hadn't changed drastically within the past few days. As far as she could tell, the alliance between the Earth and the colonies was beginning to mend itself, but quite slowly. However, there hadn't been an attack against earth for several days. That at least had improved.
The past several days she pushed and pushed for colonial delegates and Earth delegates to set aside their differences before the ESUN was corrupted entirely. It had somewhat worked. She was currently trying to sink into their heads what might happen should the ESUN fail. She felt so alone. She felt as if the weight of the universe was riding on just her shoulders.
Of course her companions stood by her side faithfully. Quatre was a marvel. His political strategies and people skills were really quite amazing. He charmed everyone he met, and made friends quickly with high political officials. He was the one who was spreading her ideas and plans for future peace.
Then there was Zechs. Her ever-faithful brother, who supported her through out it all. He not only kept her security on its toes, but also gave her much needed advice. Not to mention a shoulder to lean on when she needed it.
Of course Trowa was the silent but an ever-watchful companion. Relena could see no emotion within the pilot's eyes. He always kept a calm and resourceful looking mask upon his handsome face.
Then of course there was Heero. Though she still felt incredibly uneasy around the Perfect Soldier, she found herself gaining her confidence back slowly when he was around. Yet despite all this, the emotions that she felt for him burned fiercer than ever, still terrorizing her young mind.
Right now Relena was lying down on her bed in the lovely hotel suite she had been given. Right now, the party was on L3 and would continue to tour the colonies until peace was finally insured. All day Relena had been attending meetings with politicians and colonial officials. So far, despite a few arguments, things had gone well that day. She now had three hours to rest before her next engagement. A formal dinner party that was to be held at the Ambassador of L3's private home. She silently prayed that it would remain small and simple, unlike the last party she had attended.
As she was about to drift off to sleep, Relena heard a light tap on her door. She opened up her eyes and sat up groggily.
"Come in," she replied.
As the door opened, a tall young man with unruly brown hair and Prussian eyes stepped into the room. He walked straight towards the young girl and stood in front of her by the bed. No emotion could be seen through his mask. The girl who sat on the bed before him suddenly seemed uncomfortable.
Heero slightly shifted his weight. Since the tour began Relena had become so tense it was incredible. It bothered him a great deal. Like she was hiding something from him. That was indeed why he had come to see her. To try to find out what had been bothering her these past few weeks. And he didn't mean just the threat of war. But what was really bothering her that was making her so tense outside of the political arena.
"Heero… can I help you with something?"
Her question helped him to snap out of his thoughts. He cursed himself for letting his mind drift, but did not show this to the young woman.
"I wanted to make sure that you were feeling well."
Relena was startled. Heero Yuy was actually making sure that she was all right. He had never let concern show towards others. But right now she could see the faintest hint of it deep inside of his eyes. She smiled slightly as she looked away from him.
"I suppose I am," she answered meekly.
"But you are not sure?"
"I don't know." Relena said shaking her head sadly.
"Relena," Heero said as he knelt down in front of her, "what bothers you? It has clearly been affecting you diplomatic duties as well as your personal being."
Relena stared at him blankly. What he had said he had said unemotionally and somewhat coldly. She had tried to hide herself within a mask such as he did, but that obviously didn't work well with Heero Yuy.
"Heero, why are you doing this to me?"
"You need to be well physically, mentally, and emotionally to complete the task that you have undertaken, Relena."
"And you are saying that I am not?" she cried as she stood up from the bed and moved away from him. She started to pace the room; closing her eyes and taking deep breathes.
"Relena please, let me help you," said Heero as he started to approach her.
"Why?" she asked. "So that you can complete your mission? I am quite sure that this is why you are here. Your mission is to protect me. Protecting me means to protect the peace that you and I and so many others have fought for years to uphold."
Heero had never heard such an outburst from the girl in all the time he had known her. And for once in his life he was speechless. And for the first time in his life he felt something churn deep inside of him. Her words were strong and spoken well. They rang with the truth yet at the same time he felt the need to renounce what she had just said.
"Relena, my mission is to protect you. Not only for the sake of peace, but because you are the one person who I truly believe in. I believe your ideas. They give just a simple soldier, like me, hope for a better future."
Now it was Relena's turn to be silent. Heero had never said so much to her before. His words, although spoken unemotionally, were spoken with true meaning and a deeper emotion than she might have actually guessed at the time.
"Why do I feel so weak, Heero? Like everything is depending on me?" she cried.
"Because people are foolish enough to place their own troubles on a young woman. But the people need a leader, Relena. To guide them out of dark times like these. You must be strong no matter what happens."
Relena smiled warmly at the young man.
"Thank you Heero."
Heero nodded curtly then proceeded to leave the room. Yet on his way out the door, he heard her soft voice speaking to him once more.
"You're not just a soldier Heero Yuy."
He continued to walk down the hallway of the motel, but at that moment something changed inside of him. The last words she had spoken filled him with a strange emotion, one that he could not place or understand. He passed Quatre on his way down the hall; unaware of the puzzled expression on his face as he pondered what she ad just said.
"Hey Heero!" greeted the blonde hair pilot. But Heero didn't reply he just kept walking back towards his own room. Quatre however, saw the emotion of the Perfect Soldier's face that had never been there before. The Sandrock pilot stood amazed as he watched Heero continue on his way.
Trowa now walked up behind his friend.
"Quatre, what's wrong?"
"She finally got through to him," replied the young man with a small smile on his face.
Bret Mavica found himself striding through large metal doors that led into the spacious office.
"Has your sources confirmed the new information?" asked a deep and unfriendly voice.
"Yes sir, they have. The Gundams are being rebuilt. My people are doing everything possible to delay their reconstruction, but due to the current circumstances…"
"Damn the current circumstances!" screamed the man. Mavica felt his heart leap inside his chest. This was the last thing that he had wanted to happen. His leader continued,
"I want your people to delay their little reconstruction permanently! I don't care what it takes! But I want it done tonight!"
"Sir, what would you order them to do?"
"Bret, my boy, what do you think? I want them to destroy the entire project. That way we can not only destroy all the Gundams with one single blow, but also eliminate several people who are in my way. We shall kill two birds with one stone."
Mavica closed his dark eyes and took a deep breath,
"Sir, what about the Vice Foreign Minister?"
"We shall deal with her once more when the time comes. She made a bold move standing up for the colonies. She also made another bold move by allowing the Gundams to be rebuilt. She will receive hers soon enough. I don't care how many Gundam pilots are trying to protect her right now. When we hit her we will hit her hard. There will be no way or her to get out alive. I can guarantee you that."
"Very well, sir. I trust that you will tell me when the time comes."
"I will, my boy, I will."
AN: That's it folks! Did you like? The suspense is building no? LOL. I just love writing this fic! The next chapter will be exciting I hope. Please send your reviews and comments to me. Remember, if I do not receive at least 5 reviews I will discontinue writing this fic. I really hoe you are enjoying it. Email me at WildRose1404earthlink.net