The 9th-Darkness Into the Light
m m m m
Space was quiet.
Dead quiet.
The four suits moved around searching for their attackers.
"There's nothing out here." Katie noticed, seeing only the deep dark sky and the stars.
"Trio, you baka." Han scolded, knowing there were other ways he could've waste his time.
"Don't tell me we're on some type of blind run . . . "Helena growled.
"I'm telling you, the call said something about Libra suits attacking."
"Libras? Who has that type of fire power in peace time? The Virgos are enough."
Three shooting starts jetted past them leaving the foursome in awe.
"What was that?!?" Trio uttered, surprised by anything moving in space.
"Suits-three of them." The boy with the spiky hairdo calculated.
"There's gundamium in their suits!"
"So what? There's gundamium in ours!"
"Who are they? Why are they attacking?" The knife-thrower inquired, brushing her bangs from her face.
"I don't know but we better stop them before they try blowing up another colony. Spread out." The princess ordered. The four separated, each taking a corner to monitor. When nothing else happened, they touched base with each.
"Trio, any luck?" The Chinese boy asked the American.
"Naw man! They got away."
"They won't-trust me they won't." The sky-eyed girl vowed.
"Three of them? This should be easy." The green-eyed one commented.
"Easy as pie . . ." Trio smiled at the thought of food.
Beeping interrupted the conversation.
"Target's fast approaching." Katie told the others, they watched the darkness . . . .
Suddenly a lone shot came out of the dark.
"We're here to play." Hunter's voice came over all their monitors.
"So don't run away." Prodigy remarked.
"Because the Neo Blaques are here to stay." Midnight pulled out her beam canon aiming.
The fight was on.
"Damage report 75%! Aw hell!"
"What's up sis?" Hunter asked, trying to fend off her own attacker.
"She won't give up! My suit is almost gone!"
A voice came over the speakers.
"This is Princess Helena Yuy of the Cinq kingdom, put down your weapons and surrender.
We can stop this meaningless battle being we nearly killed each other: This is a peace zone."
"Screw you." Was the cynical answer.
"And I was trying so hard to be nice." She remarked, "Then I'm forced to fight you."
"Bring it on!"
He gave his enemy a direct blow to the face.
"Only a weak fool would shoot me in the back."
"And who's ass do I have the pleasure of kicking today?"
She smiled so ominous into the view monitor.
'I can fuck-up all his computer systems and not even get my hands dirty.'
"This is Han Chang of the Wolf clan." He spoke ever so cooly, smugly seeing it was only some girl trying to fight in a man's battle.
{Author's note: Please God let me have this right}
"If you're the Wolfe, I guess that makes me the Hunter!"
He blocked her hits leaving her with misses, enough to swell pride and let his guard down.
He tried to get another hit off his suit but her aim stuck all his systems down.
"What the-?" He looked around.
It was a meltdown.
Smoke filled the cockpit, he had to get out.
"When in doubt-you die."
But then when she tried to shoot, her canon was stuck . . . .
He escaped from her suit, something triggered the self-destruction system.
A floating target in the dark.
Where was she? Where was she?
Hunter had to tear her way out, the walls were closing in.
Out of the darkness a solid blue Virgo appeared.
"The Hunter becomes the hunted."
Like a performance at a show with knife, Katie locked her gun on target, ready to blow her away.
Light, a blinding light struck the black suit.
"Baka! You almost got me."
"That wasn't me . . . !" She hissed, hoping the chauvinistic would cause her to raise her tiny voice.
A white mobile suit stood there.
"Uncle Quatre?"
"Mr. Winner?"
A gundam back in space?
"Next time you two decide to leave the house-let your moms know."
"I get you my pretty and your little dog too!" The redhead cackled.
Trio was hit from behind.
Again . . . . For the thrid time in a roll.
He had to admit he was losing.
"How in the hell is she predicting all my moves?!?"
"Oh, so you wanna play like that huh?" He turned his beam canon on her face, "Then we can play!"
Midnight jumped out of her suit.
"I refuse to be beaten by some Miss Priss!"
Helena jumped out of her Virgo suit, meeting the girl's wild-eyed, savage stare.
"You wanna start something' queenie?" Midnight demanded, gesturing her to come on, black eyes burning.
"No-I want to finish it." A cool reply from a girl with now cold blue eyes.
Helena decked her in the jaw sending her sliding backwards in the mud.
"You smudged my make-up!"
Vanity: One trait a Blaque would never give up.
Midnight managed to clock her in the jaw, sending the other girl to the ground.
She shook her daze off, the fire in her sky eyes.
Taking the girl by her mixed colored hair, Helena pulled the girl down to her knees.
"Now YOU smudged my MAKEUP."
"Bitch!" She lunged back.
"You damn coward!" The girl jumped out the way.
"I'll kill you!" She raged with a .45 in hand.
"Try it."
The princess knocked the Blaque spy out cold.
The cut on her face was stinging like a SOB, she was alone on some unknown abandoned colony to far from home . . . The little whore knew exactly where to strike her suit down.
They ended up taking out each other and falling into this place.
Her communications was cut awhile back and Helena forbade anyone to follow.
Alone.
What a feeling.
She felt a heaving in her chest: "It's times like this I wish I could cry . . ."
"Helena!"
She picked herself up, brushing off the dirt.
"H-e-l-e-n-a!"
"Ok, I'm hearing voices, no big deal."
A thrid time the call rung in her ears. "Man-how hard did she hit me?"
The voice sounded: "Helena?!? Answer me! Damn, that's a woman for you-"
Han screamed fearing the worst, what if she was dead?
"Are you ok?" He asked, tone softening.
"I'm right here."
He swept her into a tight hug, no even caring why he did it.
She felt her blushing-this coming from a girl who played with the boys but never dated them-she wasn't sure what to do. She could've smack him, hugged him back, or kept on looking stupid.
Option one was the one she should've done, two was she wanted to do, and three was what she was doing.
"Han?" She whispered ever so softly.
"Yeah?" He whispered back.
"I'm happy to see you too."
Hands lingering in her a little longer than he intended-he knew from watching others that her father would break his if he ever found out he was touching his daughter.
He released her-but slowly.
"And so the legacy of Katrina Nyle lives on . . ."
"Must you mock her?"
"She could've stopped Angela. Did she? No, she felt weak. She let some mind game get in her way. Her sister would want her to fight, I want her to fight, but she always had to run away."
"She's also dead."
"Sorry, I forgot."
"Hilde . . ."
"I know, I know, for your sake Relena I'll try to be kind."
They were only together for a moment in time Hilde, then you came, he loves you. She moved on.
Strange.
Relena found herself thinking about Katrina.
Seeing the little girl reminded her of the person who was lost.
She was a true friend, as true as any of the others-Hilde, Noin, Dorothy, Catherine, and Sally.
The two women were sitting with the dark-skinned girl, she wore her hair just as unusual and slept as heavily, Katrina in the flesh with only the eyes and accent to differentiate her.
"Please don't hate Robyn-she's a child."
"Hate? Honey, I've got Trio, Hannah, and Shawn. I'm a mother aren't I?" Then it hit her, "Is this about their relationship again Relena? You think I hate this girl because she could've been Duo's daughter."
"That's not what I meant-"
"No, it isn't. Man, Katrina has a way of coming into your stable world and shaking it up."
"Katrina's one of those people who can affect all people."
"Did she affect you."
"Yes. She made me realize what I now hold dear."
"I guess she holds Robyn dear . . . she faked her death only to die for real to save her."
"Madam Queen, Mrs. Maxwell, an urgent phone call is for you."
"What! They did what!"
"No way, no freakin' way."
"Aw hell! It's the drugs, the drugs again!"
The woman with the pigtails screamed thinking the sedatives were messing with her head again.
"It's not the drugs Katrina. It's us, the 'Fly Boyz.'"
"No way, no freakin' way!" Katrina pounced on them with hugs, crying and getting emotional, the guys tried to keep a straight face but felt their embarrassment rising.
"It would be . . . so much nicer . . . to BREATH." Trowa remarked in a choking tone.
"Oh-yeah, sorry about that." She felt embarrassed.
When they finally calmed her down and took their seats, they got to the point. "We need to talk."
"I got a million questions and not a lot time to ask them!"
"Ask." Heero told her.
"Where the hell is Angela?" Her tone darkened.
"Next question."
"Why did you come here?"
"Here." He handed over a manilla envelope with some tall-tell pictures.
"Blaque-the Next Generation . . . .?" She cocked an eyebrow.
"Oh my God! Biride!?!" She yelled, alarming the other patients with their visitors.
"Angela has my daughter, that bitch has my child!"
"Katrina. Sit." Wufei growled.
She sat as told.
"I'll kill her. Oh believe me I will, and nobody will stop me from snapping her in two."
"Until the paperwork clears, you better think about what you're gonna say to Robyn . . ."
"She was shot." Trowa finished.
"Oh no."
"Don't worry, she cheats death just as well as her mother." Heero remarked sardonically.
"My own baby girl turned into a Blaque? Get me out of here! Spring me from this nuthouse!"
"We will." Heero answered.
"But you gotta help us." Wufei ordered.
"And you can't be Sabrina Thorton-you must be yourself." Trowa told her.
"Katrina Nyle is dead." She said, head in hands.
"Only in name."
"But Birdie . . . " The blue-eyed man cut her off.
"Birdie needs you more than ever. Besides, Angela has the fire power now, she has suits."
"You mean she found the new metal?"
"Almost, that's why Robyn got shot by Helena, she thought your bird was a cat burglar."
"Princess?"
"She didn't try to." Heero said too quickly. He never wanted her to fall into the same trap of being a killer. Katrina saw the change in his eyes, he no longer hated her but felt pathos, as a parent he didn't want his daughter going down a one-way street. Robyn had to be stopped on hers.
"God . . ." The woman saw her own child on the same long road to destruction.
Katrina knew she had to leave this place, either by walking out or dying.
"Maybe that bullet did some good. If this world can't take Birdie, take me instead-"
"You're lucky you're not six under." Wufei spat out bitterly, "Get the idea of a death wish out of your head woman, we need you to get to this Angela."
"Awwwwww, I never thought you cared."
He merely rolled his eyes.
"What about you guys, still worth something?"
She recalled the King's ransom:
They were all gathered in Katrina's room-the feline sitting Indian-style on her bed, Wufei and Trowa leaning against the wall, Hilde and Duo reclining on the rug, Relena took a chair and Heero was taping away at her computer.
A screen jumped up on the terminal snatching his attention for now.
"So she's onto us."
"She's looking for Katrina."
"Your ass is still sitting on the line. Angie will find you."
"Let her come. I welcome her."
"Why so smug?"
"I know things-she knows things. Is the cat playing with the mouse, or is the mouse with the cat?"
"Not so, she's looking for us too. We're all back on the auction block."
The looked at the computer screen and their mouths dropped.
"Five. Million. Dollars." Duo sounded out, "For the body of Katrina Nyle or the whereabouts of the Gundam pilots."
"Say that number again." Duo asked in awe.
"Five million dollars." Quatre was sitting backwards in another chair.
"For me?"
"Or us."
"So we're at a crossroads."
"I believe so."
Katrina sat there quiet. They were unsure of her answer, she could turn them and get the cash.
"Then shoot me. Get it over with, go collect the money and take a vacation."
"We're not going to kill you Kat." Relena filled the silence.
"I've been dead forever." She laughed, "This will just confirm it."
Katrina jerked herself back to the present.
"Remember, my could-have-been-now-dead husband Dylan Thorton is dead over that."
"Angela gave up on you."
"Angela is a pain-she won't give. She'll wait for me."
Heero picked the conversation back up.
"We still have the disks in our keeping but now we have to use them. An attack may come soon.
Angela's been too quiet so it's about time we utilize that new metal for something.
"You want to use it? Whoa-you are serious about getting me out."
"Peace is at stake Katrina Nyle and I won't have it threatened. We have something to protect now."
"Your families. I understand-" She breathed, "Course anything I love dies."
"She didn't die. Robyn's condition is fair now. That matters"
The tears were building, "I'm assuming that Quennie or Maximilian have no idea about this?"
They nodded.
"Good-all the more better." She stood to her feet, "I've read the disks countless times. But it means taking me back home-to Egypt."
"Egypt?"
"The metal's there . . . and so is my citizenship! I'm doing this legit."
"Now where do I remember this scene?"
The little girl stared back at the debonair Indian woman with big eyes.
"Hi Birdie, I'm your Auntie Angie."
"I don't have an Auntie Angie, I never did."
"You lie just as good as your ma-ma."
"Let me go!"
"I never hated you honey, but I hate your mama, I hate these damn Gundams, and their little queenie too. Problems, that's all they've give me, problems."
"I can save you mama, if you do something for me."
"See, I own you Birdie, I own your mama, the two of you are mine." Angela forced the girl to look back at her, "You're always been mine."
Roybn woke up from her latest nightmare.
The women were gone by now: Just another reminder of the childhood that was snatched away.
"What is going on here! Why is my child suited up? She's no fighter!"
The three men just returned from their "Sunday drive," something was up.
"Heero Yuy, do you have any idea what your daughter did?!?"
His blonde-haired wonder was enraged. He wasn't angry only confused.
The Perfect Soldier hen-pecked by his own woman he droned . . .
"What did she do?"
He figured it was the usual teenage attics-course he never really was a teenager to know them.
"Your own child duped the rest of her friends into joyriding in those-those suits!
Not only that they got into a fight with three other children and they all managed to destroy all the suits. And she's hurt! They hurt my baby!"
All he could do was smirk.
"And you two-" She shot at Trowa and Wufei, "She's following bad influences!"
"I'm sure she's fine." He trusted his own daughter's judgement if her mother didn't.
"So the Princess of the world is following after her father." Wufei mused, "Interesting."
"Somebody's sleeping on the couch tonight." Duo joked.
"Duo . . ."
There is was-the patent death glare.
"Yeah, yeah, I love you too."
Helena, Trio, Han, and Katie led the prisoners into the estate, guns trained at their skulls with Quatre following with his gun.
But they were all met at the door by the Queen herself.
"Helena Mabel Yuy, you better explain yourself right now young lady!"
She looked back with a small smile, "Don't worry mom: Just a little make-up smudged."
After much convincing, yelling, and pillows flying, the fighting four were allowed to question their prisoners. In a small interrogation room, (Hey that house has everything) the Blaques were bought in by guards and seated, their victors standing around them, their parents watching on the other side of the two-way mirror. Helena was given the first chance to speak.
"First thing ladies, I want to know is who you are, why you're here, and why are you attacking?"
Midnight's cool answer: "Business."
"Business? Is that right?"
"Ok ladies, we can either do quietly or we can take you out quietly." Trio reminded them.
The girls glanced at each other . . .
The purple braid they doubt, but the other three had their guns right there at their fingertips . . . and the way they fought . . . . The Neo Blaques had no idea that they went up against the children of the Gundam pilots. They were being watched too closely and breathing meant their folly. They began:
"So we are three." The blonde started.
"I'm Prodigy." The redhead sang.
"Hunter who's me."
"And Midnight you see." Went the brunette with the white streaks.
"We are the Blaques." They said as one, "The Neo Blaques."
Midnight led them in the next verse, "We don't make trouble cause Trouble follows."
Prodigy sung next, "So don't bother us."
Hunter's line: "We have no names, we have no faces."
Midnight picked up the last line. "But we move fast, we don't need class, we kick-"
"I get the picture." Helena said stopping them.
"Cool-cheerleaders." Trio joked.
Even Katie felt impatient, "We want you names-your real names."
The short hair blonde spoke first, "Deborah Clark."
The redhead said blankly: "Pamela Hernedez."
The brunette spat out: "Jacquelyn Shell."
"That's better, much better." Han spoke then growled, "Now tell us what else we need to know."
"Such a mean person." Pamela remarked with a stupid grin.
Deborah teased, "I broke his little pride-"
"And I thought he was cute." Midnight cooed . . . Helena cut them off with her own death glare.
"Lock them up."
The three girls were led away-somehow Midnight found a weak spot.
Somewhere in a lonely jail cell . . .
"Midnight, Hunter, Prodigy-so it's true that they got you here."
"We should ask the same." Deborah stared at her, suspicion growing.
"What are you-?" Robyn started, but the iced brunette cut in.
"This is where you've been eh? I thought you were doing a mission not lounging."
"Then you know . . ." Pamela saw it: The truth.
"I can't . . ."
"Help us then sis, you got the jump on the goods."
"They trust me . . ."
"But where are your sisters, we are your family we are the Blaques, we gave you life."
We taught you how to live Birdie-survival is a necessarily."
Trapped like a rat.
A single thought laid there in the girl's head:
'This wasn't the life I wanna to led.'
"I want to talk to you Helena."
"Mom please . . ."
"You're going to the ball, I was planning on letting you skip out but not this time."
"But-but they'll drive me crazy! They'll bore me to death, they wanna play dress-up!"
You could tell she hated that terrible fate, Helena Yuy never whined.
"Oh no, after today's episode, I will not have you even near a weapon. God, sometimes I can kill your father for the things he's taught you. You're a diplomat not some warrior."
"I was acting as a member, a daughter, and the princess who's heir to the Cinq kingdom."
"You should be a little more responsible. . . ."
Heelna felt it-a lecture.
Something within made her scream what she was thinking:
"I can't be you!"
The sudden admission shocked the Queen.
"I never said . . ."
"I can't be another Relena or even another Heero. I'm me. I'm sick of always being pressured to be the docile princess or the warrior's daughter. I don't want to fight.
But I will! Why can't I just be fifteen!"
The door flew up, she ran out of the room leaving her mother shun there.
She wanted to be a teenage.
Why couldn't they see?
Neither one of her parents or their friends grew up normal, why couldn't she?
She was only fifteen.
Helena stopped in the garden, wiping a lone tear from her eye.
The night sky, she looked into it . . .
"As long as there's breath in my body, I will eliminate all who try to destroy my peace."
"I'm having a really bad day."
Angela was POed: All the Blaques were missing.
"Little whores . . ." She cursed. 'They never change."
And Blaque missing only meant trouble.
A new message was in her email.
"Well, well, well, who sent this present." She spatted bitterly, her codes for the CIA were fucking up again, her back account was getting into the thousands again so she needed more.
Opening the letter with boredom the attachment caught her black eyes.
"The location of the new metal?!?"
She read through with a sense of urging, speeding, she ate up the page.
When she was finish, this stupid grin was plastered on her face, like one would get if they smoked
marijuana.
"My happiness . . . is . . . conceived." The Indian breathed.
This is too good, too good to be true.
The little bird came through.
Angela shrieked with laughter.
m m m m
Space was quiet.
Dead quiet.
The four suits moved around searching for their attackers.
"There's nothing out here." Katie noticed, seeing only the deep dark sky and the stars.
"Trio, you baka." Han scolded, knowing there were other ways he could've waste his time.
"Don't tell me we're on some type of blind run . . . "Helena growled.
"I'm telling you, the call said something about Libra suits attacking."
"Libras? Who has that type of fire power in peace time? The Virgos are enough."
Three shooting starts jetted past them leaving the foursome in awe.
"What was that?!?" Trio uttered, surprised by anything moving in space.
"Suits-three of them." The boy with the spiky hairdo calculated.
"There's gundamium in their suits!"
"So what? There's gundamium in ours!"
"Who are they? Why are they attacking?" The knife-thrower inquired, brushing her bangs from her face.
"I don't know but we better stop them before they try blowing up another colony. Spread out." The princess ordered. The four separated, each taking a corner to monitor. When nothing else happened, they touched base with each.
"Trio, any luck?" The Chinese boy asked the American.
"Naw man! They got away."
"They won't-trust me they won't." The sky-eyed girl vowed.
"Three of them? This should be easy." The green-eyed one commented.
"Easy as pie . . ." Trio smiled at the thought of food.
Beeping interrupted the conversation.
"Target's fast approaching." Katie told the others, they watched the darkness . . . .
Suddenly a lone shot came out of the dark.
"We're here to play." Hunter's voice came over all their monitors.
"So don't run away." Prodigy remarked.
"Because the Neo Blaques are here to stay." Midnight pulled out her beam canon aiming.
The fight was on.
"Damage report 75%! Aw hell!"
"What's up sis?" Hunter asked, trying to fend off her own attacker.
"She won't give up! My suit is almost gone!"
A voice came over the speakers.
"This is Princess Helena Yuy of the Cinq kingdom, put down your weapons and surrender.
We can stop this meaningless battle being we nearly killed each other: This is a peace zone."
"Screw you." Was the cynical answer.
"And I was trying so hard to be nice." She remarked, "Then I'm forced to fight you."
"Bring it on!"
He gave his enemy a direct blow to the face.
"Only a weak fool would shoot me in the back."
"And who's ass do I have the pleasure of kicking today?"
She smiled so ominous into the view monitor.
'I can fuck-up all his computer systems and not even get my hands dirty.'
"This is Han Chang of the Wolf clan." He spoke ever so cooly, smugly seeing it was only some girl trying to fight in a man's battle.
{Author's note: Please God let me have this right}
"If you're the Wolfe, I guess that makes me the Hunter!"
He blocked her hits leaving her with misses, enough to swell pride and let his guard down.
He tried to get another hit off his suit but her aim stuck all his systems down.
"What the-?" He looked around.
It was a meltdown.
Smoke filled the cockpit, he had to get out.
"When in doubt-you die."
But then when she tried to shoot, her canon was stuck . . . .
He escaped from her suit, something triggered the self-destruction system.
A floating target in the dark.
Where was she? Where was she?
Hunter had to tear her way out, the walls were closing in.
Out of the darkness a solid blue Virgo appeared.
"The Hunter becomes the hunted."
Like a performance at a show with knife, Katie locked her gun on target, ready to blow her away.
Light, a blinding light struck the black suit.
"Baka! You almost got me."
"That wasn't me . . . !" She hissed, hoping the chauvinistic would cause her to raise her tiny voice.
A white mobile suit stood there.
"Uncle Quatre?"
"Mr. Winner?"
A gundam back in space?
"Next time you two decide to leave the house-let your moms know."
"I get you my pretty and your little dog too!" The redhead cackled.
Trio was hit from behind.
Again . . . . For the thrid time in a roll.
He had to admit he was losing.
"How in the hell is she predicting all my moves?!?"
"Oh, so you wanna play like that huh?" He turned his beam canon on her face, "Then we can play!"
Midnight jumped out of her suit.
"I refuse to be beaten by some Miss Priss!"
Helena jumped out of her Virgo suit, meeting the girl's wild-eyed, savage stare.
"You wanna start something' queenie?" Midnight demanded, gesturing her to come on, black eyes burning.
"No-I want to finish it." A cool reply from a girl with now cold blue eyes.
Helena decked her in the jaw sending her sliding backwards in the mud.
"You smudged my make-up!"
Vanity: One trait a Blaque would never give up.
Midnight managed to clock her in the jaw, sending the other girl to the ground.
She shook her daze off, the fire in her sky eyes.
Taking the girl by her mixed colored hair, Helena pulled the girl down to her knees.
"Now YOU smudged my MAKEUP."
"Bitch!" She lunged back.
"You damn coward!" The girl jumped out the way.
"I'll kill you!" She raged with a .45 in hand.
"Try it."
The princess knocked the Blaque spy out cold.
The cut on her face was stinging like a SOB, she was alone on some unknown abandoned colony to far from home . . . The little whore knew exactly where to strike her suit down.
They ended up taking out each other and falling into this place.
Her communications was cut awhile back and Helena forbade anyone to follow.
Alone.
What a feeling.
She felt a heaving in her chest: "It's times like this I wish I could cry . . ."
"Helena!"
She picked herself up, brushing off the dirt.
"H-e-l-e-n-a!"
"Ok, I'm hearing voices, no big deal."
A thrid time the call rung in her ears. "Man-how hard did she hit me?"
The voice sounded: "Helena?!? Answer me! Damn, that's a woman for you-"
Han screamed fearing the worst, what if she was dead?
"Are you ok?" He asked, tone softening.
"I'm right here."
He swept her into a tight hug, no even caring why he did it.
She felt her blushing-this coming from a girl who played with the boys but never dated them-she wasn't sure what to do. She could've smack him, hugged him back, or kept on looking stupid.
Option one was the one she should've done, two was she wanted to do, and three was what she was doing.
"Han?" She whispered ever so softly.
"Yeah?" He whispered back.
"I'm happy to see you too."
Hands lingering in her a little longer than he intended-he knew from watching others that her father would break his if he ever found out he was touching his daughter.
He released her-but slowly.
"And so the legacy of Katrina Nyle lives on . . ."
"Must you mock her?"
"She could've stopped Angela. Did she? No, she felt weak. She let some mind game get in her way. Her sister would want her to fight, I want her to fight, but she always had to run away."
"She's also dead."
"Sorry, I forgot."
"Hilde . . ."
"I know, I know, for your sake Relena I'll try to be kind."
They were only together for a moment in time Hilde, then you came, he loves you. She moved on.
Strange.
Relena found herself thinking about Katrina.
Seeing the little girl reminded her of the person who was lost.
She was a true friend, as true as any of the others-Hilde, Noin, Dorothy, Catherine, and Sally.
The two women were sitting with the dark-skinned girl, she wore her hair just as unusual and slept as heavily, Katrina in the flesh with only the eyes and accent to differentiate her.
"Please don't hate Robyn-she's a child."
"Hate? Honey, I've got Trio, Hannah, and Shawn. I'm a mother aren't I?" Then it hit her, "Is this about their relationship again Relena? You think I hate this girl because she could've been Duo's daughter."
"That's not what I meant-"
"No, it isn't. Man, Katrina has a way of coming into your stable world and shaking it up."
"Katrina's one of those people who can affect all people."
"Did she affect you."
"Yes. She made me realize what I now hold dear."
"I guess she holds Robyn dear . . . she faked her death only to die for real to save her."
"Madam Queen, Mrs. Maxwell, an urgent phone call is for you."
"What! They did what!"
"No way, no freakin' way."
"Aw hell! It's the drugs, the drugs again!"
The woman with the pigtails screamed thinking the sedatives were messing with her head again.
"It's not the drugs Katrina. It's us, the 'Fly Boyz.'"
"No way, no freakin' way!" Katrina pounced on them with hugs, crying and getting emotional, the guys tried to keep a straight face but felt their embarrassment rising.
"It would be . . . so much nicer . . . to BREATH." Trowa remarked in a choking tone.
"Oh-yeah, sorry about that." She felt embarrassed.
When they finally calmed her down and took their seats, they got to the point. "We need to talk."
"I got a million questions and not a lot time to ask them!"
"Ask." Heero told her.
"Where the hell is Angela?" Her tone darkened.
"Next question."
"Why did you come here?"
"Here." He handed over a manilla envelope with some tall-tell pictures.
"Blaque-the Next Generation . . . .?" She cocked an eyebrow.
"Oh my God! Biride!?!" She yelled, alarming the other patients with their visitors.
"Angela has my daughter, that bitch has my child!"
"Katrina. Sit." Wufei growled.
She sat as told.
"I'll kill her. Oh believe me I will, and nobody will stop me from snapping her in two."
"Until the paperwork clears, you better think about what you're gonna say to Robyn . . ."
"She was shot." Trowa finished.
"Oh no."
"Don't worry, she cheats death just as well as her mother." Heero remarked sardonically.
"My own baby girl turned into a Blaque? Get me out of here! Spring me from this nuthouse!"
"We will." Heero answered.
"But you gotta help us." Wufei ordered.
"And you can't be Sabrina Thorton-you must be yourself." Trowa told her.
"Katrina Nyle is dead." She said, head in hands.
"Only in name."
"But Birdie . . . " The blue-eyed man cut her off.
"Birdie needs you more than ever. Besides, Angela has the fire power now, she has suits."
"You mean she found the new metal?"
"Almost, that's why Robyn got shot by Helena, she thought your bird was a cat burglar."
"Princess?"
"She didn't try to." Heero said too quickly. He never wanted her to fall into the same trap of being a killer. Katrina saw the change in his eyes, he no longer hated her but felt pathos, as a parent he didn't want his daughter going down a one-way street. Robyn had to be stopped on hers.
"God . . ." The woman saw her own child on the same long road to destruction.
Katrina knew she had to leave this place, either by walking out or dying.
"Maybe that bullet did some good. If this world can't take Birdie, take me instead-"
"You're lucky you're not six under." Wufei spat out bitterly, "Get the idea of a death wish out of your head woman, we need you to get to this Angela."
"Awwwwww, I never thought you cared."
He merely rolled his eyes.
"What about you guys, still worth something?"
She recalled the King's ransom:
They were all gathered in Katrina's room-the feline sitting Indian-style on her bed, Wufei and Trowa leaning against the wall, Hilde and Duo reclining on the rug, Relena took a chair and Heero was taping away at her computer.
A screen jumped up on the terminal snatching his attention for now.
"So she's onto us."
"She's looking for Katrina."
"Your ass is still sitting on the line. Angie will find you."
"Let her come. I welcome her."
"Why so smug?"
"I know things-she knows things. Is the cat playing with the mouse, or is the mouse with the cat?"
"Not so, she's looking for us too. We're all back on the auction block."
The looked at the computer screen and their mouths dropped.
"Five. Million. Dollars." Duo sounded out, "For the body of Katrina Nyle or the whereabouts of the Gundam pilots."
"Say that number again." Duo asked in awe.
"Five million dollars." Quatre was sitting backwards in another chair.
"For me?"
"Or us."
"So we're at a crossroads."
"I believe so."
Katrina sat there quiet. They were unsure of her answer, she could turn them and get the cash.
"Then shoot me. Get it over with, go collect the money and take a vacation."
"We're not going to kill you Kat." Relena filled the silence.
"I've been dead forever." She laughed, "This will just confirm it."
Katrina jerked herself back to the present.
"Remember, my could-have-been-now-dead husband Dylan Thorton is dead over that."
"Angela gave up on you."
"Angela is a pain-she won't give. She'll wait for me."
Heero picked the conversation back up.
"We still have the disks in our keeping but now we have to use them. An attack may come soon.
Angela's been too quiet so it's about time we utilize that new metal for something.
"You want to use it? Whoa-you are serious about getting me out."
"Peace is at stake Katrina Nyle and I won't have it threatened. We have something to protect now."
"Your families. I understand-" She breathed, "Course anything I love dies."
"She didn't die. Robyn's condition is fair now. That matters"
The tears were building, "I'm assuming that Quennie or Maximilian have no idea about this?"
They nodded.
"Good-all the more better." She stood to her feet, "I've read the disks countless times. But it means taking me back home-to Egypt."
"Egypt?"
"The metal's there . . . and so is my citizenship! I'm doing this legit."
"Now where do I remember this scene?"
The little girl stared back at the debonair Indian woman with big eyes.
"Hi Birdie, I'm your Auntie Angie."
"I don't have an Auntie Angie, I never did."
"You lie just as good as your ma-ma."
"Let me go!"
"I never hated you honey, but I hate your mama, I hate these damn Gundams, and their little queenie too. Problems, that's all they've give me, problems."
"I can save you mama, if you do something for me."
"See, I own you Birdie, I own your mama, the two of you are mine." Angela forced the girl to look back at her, "You're always been mine."
Roybn woke up from her latest nightmare.
The women were gone by now: Just another reminder of the childhood that was snatched away.
"What is going on here! Why is my child suited up? She's no fighter!"
The three men just returned from their "Sunday drive," something was up.
"Heero Yuy, do you have any idea what your daughter did?!?"
His blonde-haired wonder was enraged. He wasn't angry only confused.
The Perfect Soldier hen-pecked by his own woman he droned . . .
"What did she do?"
He figured it was the usual teenage attics-course he never really was a teenager to know them.
"Your own child duped the rest of her friends into joyriding in those-those suits!
Not only that they got into a fight with three other children and they all managed to destroy all the suits. And she's hurt! They hurt my baby!"
All he could do was smirk.
"And you two-" She shot at Trowa and Wufei, "She's following bad influences!"
"I'm sure she's fine." He trusted his own daughter's judgement if her mother didn't.
"So the Princess of the world is following after her father." Wufei mused, "Interesting."
"Somebody's sleeping on the couch tonight." Duo joked.
"Duo . . ."
There is was-the patent death glare.
"Yeah, yeah, I love you too."
Helena, Trio, Han, and Katie led the prisoners into the estate, guns trained at their skulls with Quatre following with his gun.
But they were all met at the door by the Queen herself.
"Helena Mabel Yuy, you better explain yourself right now young lady!"
She looked back with a small smile, "Don't worry mom: Just a little make-up smudged."
After much convincing, yelling, and pillows flying, the fighting four were allowed to question their prisoners. In a small interrogation room, (Hey that house has everything) the Blaques were bought in by guards and seated, their victors standing around them, their parents watching on the other side of the two-way mirror. Helena was given the first chance to speak.
"First thing ladies, I want to know is who you are, why you're here, and why are you attacking?"
Midnight's cool answer: "Business."
"Business? Is that right?"
"Ok ladies, we can either do quietly or we can take you out quietly." Trio reminded them.
The girls glanced at each other . . .
The purple braid they doubt, but the other three had their guns right there at their fingertips . . . and the way they fought . . . . The Neo Blaques had no idea that they went up against the children of the Gundam pilots. They were being watched too closely and breathing meant their folly. They began:
"So we are three." The blonde started.
"I'm Prodigy." The redhead sang.
"Hunter who's me."
"And Midnight you see." Went the brunette with the white streaks.
"We are the Blaques." They said as one, "The Neo Blaques."
Midnight led them in the next verse, "We don't make trouble cause Trouble follows."
Prodigy sung next, "So don't bother us."
Hunter's line: "We have no names, we have no faces."
Midnight picked up the last line. "But we move fast, we don't need class, we kick-"
"I get the picture." Helena said stopping them.
"Cool-cheerleaders." Trio joked.
Even Katie felt impatient, "We want you names-your real names."
The short hair blonde spoke first, "Deborah Clark."
The redhead said blankly: "Pamela Hernedez."
The brunette spat out: "Jacquelyn Shell."
"That's better, much better." Han spoke then growled, "Now tell us what else we need to know."
"Such a mean person." Pamela remarked with a stupid grin.
Deborah teased, "I broke his little pride-"
"And I thought he was cute." Midnight cooed . . . Helena cut them off with her own death glare.
"Lock them up."
The three girls were led away-somehow Midnight found a weak spot.
Somewhere in a lonely jail cell . . .
"Midnight, Hunter, Prodigy-so it's true that they got you here."
"We should ask the same." Deborah stared at her, suspicion growing.
"What are you-?" Robyn started, but the iced brunette cut in.
"This is where you've been eh? I thought you were doing a mission not lounging."
"Then you know . . ." Pamela saw it: The truth.
"I can't . . ."
"Help us then sis, you got the jump on the goods."
"They trust me . . ."
"But where are your sisters, we are your family we are the Blaques, we gave you life."
We taught you how to live Birdie-survival is a necessarily."
Trapped like a rat.
A single thought laid there in the girl's head:
'This wasn't the life I wanna to led.'
"I want to talk to you Helena."
"Mom please . . ."
"You're going to the ball, I was planning on letting you skip out but not this time."
"But-but they'll drive me crazy! They'll bore me to death, they wanna play dress-up!"
You could tell she hated that terrible fate, Helena Yuy never whined.
"Oh no, after today's episode, I will not have you even near a weapon. God, sometimes I can kill your father for the things he's taught you. You're a diplomat not some warrior."
"I was acting as a member, a daughter, and the princess who's heir to the Cinq kingdom."
"You should be a little more responsible. . . ."
Heelna felt it-a lecture.
Something within made her scream what she was thinking:
"I can't be you!"
The sudden admission shocked the Queen.
"I never said . . ."
"I can't be another Relena or even another Heero. I'm me. I'm sick of always being pressured to be the docile princess or the warrior's daughter. I don't want to fight.
But I will! Why can't I just be fifteen!"
The door flew up, she ran out of the room leaving her mother shun there.
She wanted to be a teenage.
Why couldn't they see?
Neither one of her parents or their friends grew up normal, why couldn't she?
She was only fifteen.
Helena stopped in the garden, wiping a lone tear from her eye.
The night sky, she looked into it . . .
"As long as there's breath in my body, I will eliminate all who try to destroy my peace."
"I'm having a really bad day."
Angela was POed: All the Blaques were missing.
"Little whores . . ." She cursed. 'They never change."
And Blaque missing only meant trouble.
A new message was in her email.
"Well, well, well, who sent this present." She spatted bitterly, her codes for the CIA were fucking up again, her back account was getting into the thousands again so she needed more.
Opening the letter with boredom the attachment caught her black eyes.
"The location of the new metal?!?"
She read through with a sense of urging, speeding, she ate up the page.
When she was finish, this stupid grin was plastered on her face, like one would get if they smoked
marijuana.
"My happiness . . . is . . . conceived." The Indian breathed.
This is too good, too good to be true.
The little bird came through.
Angela shrieked with laughter.