17:44 PM
Heero and Relena reached L1 early that evening. Right after they docked, Relena spoke with the bay manager and then went to find Heero.
He was in the antiseptic, bland little kitchen, a dufflebag on the table. Relena watched from the doorway as he deftly pulled out a gun, loaded it, and slid it into the waist of his jeans. Another went into an inner pocket of his jacket, and as he shrugged it on, he grabbed more ammo and shoved that into a pocket, too.
"It's just a precaution, Relena," he said suddenly. Relena started, surprised that he had seen her behind him. She walked forward to join him at the table, and in response, she reached into the dufflebag and pulled out a gun of her own. Feeling his eyes on her face, she also loaded the gun and then tucked it into the inner pocket of her denim jacket, testing the weight to make sure it wasn't too heavy or obvious. Finally, when she was finished, she turned to face him.
"No, it isn't, Heero. It's a necessity."
"What would your stuffed-up politicians say if they heard that Relena Peacecraft had had a shootout?"
"I honestly couldn't care less," she replied, then added, "though I think they just might disapprove."
18:52 PM
Because he really had no idea where to begin, Heero decided to spend the rest of their first day of searching just getting used to the Colony.
Somehow, L1 seemed to be the closest thing to a true home he had, except, of course, the one he shared with Relena and his daughter. The Colony was the quietest of all the five, the most peaceful, the most caring, it seemed like. It held terrible things for him, too - the abandoned warehouse where he and the other four pilots had been trained was located somewhere on the Colony. But that was part of the reason for L1's attraction - it also stood, to Heero, as a sign that he was overcoming the thing that had haunted him all his life: his past.
And as he walked down one of the busy main streets with Relena holding his hand, he felt more at ease than he had felt since Amy had been kidnapped. The street was familiar; more than once had he sat at that Starbucks on the corner and glared at the world - he could even see the chair that he liked to sit at, back in the corner.
The weather monitors on L1 had decided to attempt a copy of Earth's weather for the day; to Relena's special delight, snow was falling softly on the inhabitants of the Colony.
"Do they have any idea where she might be?" Relena asked.
"They're working on it as we speak," Heero replied. "I'll spend what time we have today just getting used to the layout again, Re. We can't start a full-scale search until we have more information."
She nodded and was quiet for a moment. Heero sensed that she was upset, but he knew it wasn't directed at him; Relena had always been one to want to take action immediately, and this waiting around for a day was the exact opposite of what she wanted to do.
"Hungry?" he asked, and she nodded. Picking up the pace a bit, Heero looked around until they found a small old-Italian restaurant on the corner of two streets. Relena loved old-Italian, and as he watched her eyes light up when he pointed it out to her, he couldn't help but pride himself on his choice. "Is that all right?"
"Have you eaten here before?" she asked. "Is the food good?"
"I - no, I haven't."
Relena turned, sensing there was more.
Heero didn't really want to say it, but the words tumbled out. "It made me - think too much of you, back then."
She didn't speak; she didn't have to. The gaze she fixed on him was filled with more than enough understanding and love to fill a million words. Her grip on his hand tightened for just a brief moment as they entered the restaurant together.
There were tables outside, and after ordering Relena led him outside to a small table set for two, partly hidden behind the ornate fencing of the eating area. They sat down and as they waited for their food, she asked, "What exactly are they researching, do you know?"
Heero said, "Duo mentioned finding out more about Maclemury, and Wufei was intent on scouring a map of L1 for every possible place they could've hidden Amy."
"That's absurd."
"I know. He wasn't in a very good mood when I spoke to him. More than likely Quatre will give him another job. Quatre himself is going to call some acquaintances on L1 and see if he can find any connections. I'm not sure what Trowa - "
He was interrupted by a waitress bringing their food. The girl laid down their dishes, smiled pleasantly at them both, and asked, "Is there anything else I can get you?"
"We're fine, thanks," Relena said, smiling, and the girl left.
"She didn't recognize you," Heero remarked.
"No," Relena agreed. "Thank goodness. The whole public thing has settled down a lot now that the Senate has more control. I'm not the only political focus anymore."
"A good thing," Heero nodded. "I hated being mobbed whenever we went out."
She smiled, but asked, "Trowa was going to...?"
Not the least surprised at the change of subject again, Heero took another bite and swallowed. "Lots of little things, I think. Check recent adoption records, the usual routine stuff like that."
"Adoption records?" She had a speck of spaghetti sauce on her face, and, smiling, Heero tossed her a napkin.
"In some kidnappings, the crime is out of a desire for a child of the criminal's own. Or, otherwise, it's just a mode of revenge. They'll contact a friend in a foster or adoption agency and set up the papers. The thing is completely legal-looking, and it fools a lot of cop investigations."
"That seems...odd," Relena said, looking at her spaghetti thoughtfully.
Heero grinned. "Criminals are not usually considered normal, you know."
She made a face at him and continued eating.
"Oh – Duo mentioned something to me before we left," he said, "and I forgot to tell you."
Her head snapped up, but upon meeting his gaze, the hope slid out of her eyes. "Nothing big?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"Not – not really," Heero replied softly, "but perhaps a clue."
Relena waited for a moment, then when he didn't speak she asked curtly, "You planning on sharing?"
He glanced at her, at her plate, and then said sweetly, "If you let me have a bite."
Relena raised an eyebrow, obliged, and then watched as he nodded approvingly. "That's good stuff," he mumbled around a mouthful of meatballs. "Duo had just been going through the recent newspapers on L1, and he discovered that all the major headlines are about this – this gang. I think that's the term he used."
"Gang?"
"Yeah. Mob, kinda, I guess. They rob, hijack, vandalize…the usual stuff."
"Sounds like teenagers," she remarked, giving him a look.
"None of 'em have been caught for years, Re. That's why it's been in the paper so much."
She made another face at him, earning a half-hearted attempt at a Death Glare back. "Why haven't I heard of it?"
Heero grinned. "Because no one wants to bother the Queen of the World – "
"The title's gone, Heero."
" – with such trivial and petty matters."
"A criminal gang? Whatever."
"You know I'm right. They save all the big stuff for you and leave the supposedly little things for the police forces and Preventers."
She didn't reply for a while, and they ate together in silence. There were children scampering up and down the street on their way home for the evening, laughing and throwing snowballs at each other. She was reminded of Amy, and for a moment it was hard to breathe.
"So," she said, catching her breath and desperate for the silence to disappear, "what does this gang have to do with – "
"Relena Peacecraft, right?"
Relena turned at the unfamiliar voice.
There was a man standing at their table, his face half in shadow by the evening twilight. The voice had been deep, and somehow aged, as if it had been a voice used for many, many years. Heero was watching him, seemingly warmly, but Relena sensed the wariness under his half-smile.
"Yes, that's me," Relena said cautiously. The man was wearing a heavy winter coat, long pants, and boots, and the only thing she could see for sure on his face was a dark beard and unruly dark hair. "And – and my husband, Heero Yuy."
It was just something she did out of habit; whenever she met someone for the first time and Heero was with her, she introduced him, too. And normally people treated it the usual way; they would introduce themselves to Heero, and business would commence. But this man, this stranger that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, twisted around so sharply to look at Heero that Relena was surprised he didn't pull a muscle in his neck. There was a sharp intake of breath, and the man croaked hoarsely, sounding incredulous, "You – you're Heero?"
More than a little alarmed, Heero stood and, with a glance at Relena, offered his hand. The man didn't move, and slowly Relena slipped her hand inside her jacket…just in case.
"Yes, I am," Heero said warily, watching the man intently. He had a major disadvantage; the man was almost completely shrouded in shadow.
The stranger stared at Heero for almost a full minute, and then suddenly he said in a low murmur, "Your daughter is on the roof of the office building on the corner of 19th and Main."
Relena froze, her heart nearly stopping its beat. Heero immediately tensed and opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly the man whirled and took off at a sprint, dashing through the eating area at an amazingly quick pace. Heero turned sharply and took off to follow, but immediately stopped when Relena said sharply, "Don't!"
He turned to look at her; Relena was standing a few inches away from their table.
Staring at him, she whispered, "Was he telling the truth?"
Heero's voice was hoarse. "I – I don't…I don't know, Re. Probably not. I mean, he could've just made it up for publicity, or – or it could be a trap of some sort, I don't know – "
"But he acted so strangely," Relena whispered, almost pleadingly; the tears were starting to threaten again. "He – couldn't we – "
"Check it out?" he asked softly.
Both immediately knew the answer.
19:39 PM
"Zechs, Carter is screaming and I'm feeding Caleb, could you please go get him?"
Lucrezia's harried voice sharply entered Zechs's study, where he was bent over a stack of paperwork dealing with the investigations of the kidnapping of Amy Yuy. Distractedly, he called back, "Where's Ashlyn?"
"Zechs!"
"All right, all right," he grumbled, getting to his feet and hurrying up the stairs to help. Once inside the twins' room, he picked up Carter and began to bounce him slightly. "Hey, buddy," he said, smiling at his little boy, "what's wrong, huh?"
"Play! Play wif Amy and Sam and Callie and Kylie and – "
"I know, Carter, I know, I just – we can't today, buddy."
"Why?" the little boy screwed up his face and gave his dad his best puppy-dog face.
"Because your mom and dad have to work, Carter, and everyone else is working too."
"Work on what?"
Glad to be off the topic of visiting with friends, Zechs hoisted the little boy onto his back and headed out of the room and down the stairs, explaining, "We're just helping Aunt Relena and Uncle Heero on a job they have to do with Amy."
"There you are," Lucrezia said from the kitchen doorway, holding out her arms to her son. "Are you hungry, Carter?"
He nodded and was set in his highchair next to his brother. Caleb gave his twin a baleful look and turned back to his bowl of cereal and cup of applesauce.
"A gourmet meal, huh, Caleb?" Zechs asked, grinning, as he gave Carter his share.
Lucrezia gave him a sharp glance. "At least I didn't stay in my study all day and went out and fixed my children meals."
Zechs made a face at her and pulled out a box of cereal for himself. He had just set out the bowl and milk when there was a sudden beeping from the room next to the kitchen.
Zechs was fully expecting to here from Duo or the other pilots still on Earth; they had made frequent vidcam calls all day to discuss information and alert each other to news and possible ideas. He was mentally running through what he had found since his last transmission with the pilots, when suddenly Heero's face flashed onto the screen.
"Wha – Heero?" Zechs said, startled.
The pilot on the screen looked way too anxious and worried for his normal character. Since he had married Relena, the change in Heero's demeanor had been nothing short of phenomenal; the monotonous, violent, cold manner was almost completely gone. Usually Heero was simply serious and quiet, but with a quick grin and easygoing manner. Zechs hadn't seen Heero this tense for a long time.
"Zechs, I – I don't know really what I'm doing," he said uncertainly. Heero told him briefly about what had happened at the restaurant earlier in the day, and when he had finished, Zechs sat back in his chair and blew out his breath sharply.
"What do you plan on doing?" he said flatly.
"We – I don't know," Heero said honestly, shrugging. He seemed oddly helpless. "Relena – she wants to go, Zechs, we only stopped back here to get some things – "
Relena suddenly passed through the view of the vidcam, busy loading a gun as she strode past.
"Relena?" Zechs called, but all he got was a muffled greeting. The blond man turned, a little miffed, to his brother-in-law.
"It might be a trap, Zechs," Heero explained, clearly not sure what to do. "I could be leading her into – into…I don't know, something bad. But – "
"What if," Zechs murmured, and Heero, startled, nodded.
"Yeah," he replied. "She's not willing to, uh – to take chances."
Zechs regarded Heero seriously, trying to read the emotions behind Heero's deep blue eyes. "What do you think?" he finally asked.
"I don't know," Heero repeated. "If Amy's there, then we have to go get her."
"If she's not?"
Heero looked steadily at the floor for a moment, and then slowly raised his head to regard Zechs seriously. "I wanted you to know where we were going."
Zechs understood. The brothers-in-law were more alike then they would ever let on. He nodded shortly, then said, "All right. Where is it?"
"Corner of 19th and Main. Like I said, we're not – "
"Heero." Zechs voice was very quiet. "Just let me send in a ship, it'll take less than an hour – "
"No." That was Relena, standing next to Heero, her face grim. "I can't waste the time."
She waited until Zechs nodded, then went to get her coat. Slowly, Zechs turned to Heero.
"You're my brother-in-law," he said heavily, "but if anything – "
"Don't." Heero cut him off. "You know I'll protect her with my life."
Zechs nodded once more, and Heero terminated the connection. Staring up at the black screen, Zechs didn't even realize he had whispered, "I know."
20:12 PM
The streets, which had been busy and full just an hour ago, were now almost completely deserted. The Colony was dark, and the only light came from the streetlamps on the corners. As always when he was in a vulnerable or shadowy position, Heero's senses heightened and he was edgy as they walked down the street.
Relena sensed his anxiety and glanced up at him. In the dark, walking down a silent street, where something could be hiding around the next corner, Heero seemed to transform. His muscles were tense and his face was grim and alert. There were no smiles, no light in his dark blue eyes; he was completely silent, even as he walked, and altogether seemed to Relena to be on a level far higher than she was.
They strode quickly down 19th Avenue until they entered the biggest part of the city and were soon overshadowed completely by gigantic office buildings. The occasional car that drove past went quickly and without slowing down; the headlights glanced off their faces and cast eerie shadows on the wall behind them. Relena had never heard a Colony be so deathly silent.
Heero had dressed in his Preventers uniform to gain them access to the office building they were to enter. Without halting his space, Heero pulled open the front door and walked straight up to the lobbyist. She glanced up at him and said automatically, "We're closing in fifteen minutes, sir."
Pulling out his Preventers badge, Heero showed it to her quickly and said, "We have something to check out on the roof. Just an observation, it won't take very long."
The lobbyist glanced at the badge uneasily. "All – all right," she said, hesitantly. "I'm supposed to let you, I think, but – "
She stopped. The couple was already gone, heading straight towards the elevator.
20:28 PM
Duo paced nervously back and forth across the floor of Quatre's vidcam room, his braid swinging back and forth as a symbol of his anxiety.
"You can sit down," Trowa said mildly, "I'm sure it wouldn't hurt."
Making a face at him, Duo replied shortly, "I can't."
Quatre gave Duo a kind glance and said gently, "They won't be back for an hour at least, Duo."
"You don't – "
"Sit down, Maxwell, you're giving me a headache," Wufei said curtly.
"Good," Duo retorted, and continued pacing.
Wufei growled under his breath, "Yuy better hurry, or I'm going to chop this idiot's braid off."
Duo halted his pacing to stick his tongue out at the other pilot, and then promptly resumed his route.
20:36 PM
The elevator ride seemed to take forever. Relena watched the little arrow above the doorway sliding steadily across the numbers as terrible elevator music resounded throughout the room. As the numbers climbed higher and higher, she felt her heart rise in her throat. With every second, she could be getting closer and closer to her daughter.
It stopped at the fortieth floor, as far as the elevator would go. With a soft ding, the doors slid open, revealing a dimly lit corridor with doors on either side.
Silently Heero stepped forward, and, feeling more than a little nervous, Relena followed. He strode quickly down the hall until they found the stairs, and as they neared the door that led out onto the roof, he slowly pulled his gun out of the waist of his jeans and switched the safety off.
Feeling her heart pounding, Relena followed suit, and together they opened the door.
It was completely dark and silent. No sounds could be heard whatsoever; the eerie quiet sent little fingers of ice up and down Relena's back. Heero moved immediately to the nearest corner, and his pace changed; his movements now were almost catlike, calculating each step and moving swiftly and silently.
"Should we – should we split up?" Relena whispered, daring to speak.
Heero shook his head immediately. They started at one corner of the roof and made their way to the opposite corner. The roof was large and completely flat, but stacked with crates and boxes and other equipment all over. They weaved their way in and out, searching in every possible place they could see.
"Heero," Relena whispered at one point, when they had been searching for almost a half hour. "Can we – should we – "
She didn't have to finish; he nodded, and right away, Relena lifted her voice much louder and called, "Amy!"
They glanced at each other and then set off again, now both calling their daughter's name.
"Amy!"
"Amy, honey, tell Mommy where you are!"
It went on for what seemed like an eternity; back and forth, apprehension and hope rising as time went by. After more than an hour of searching, they both came to a stop in the middle of the roof.
"Anything?" Relena whispered.
He shook his head, grief entering his dark blue gaze. "I don't think – "
Relena's left hand suddenly shot out and gripped his arm; her fingers were tighter than a vice. She had cocked her head to one side, the light wind teasing her hair, her eyes closed.
"What – "
"Shh!" she hushed him. Heero closed his mouth and listened.
And there, so faint he had to strain to hear it at all, came a tiny voice being carried by the wind.
"Daddy!"
Without thinking he sprinted to where the voice was coming from, clear on the other side of the roof. Relena was running too; he caught occasional glimpses of her winding throughout the equipment, her face as white as the snow that had fallen earlier that day. Heero felt his heart hammering with apprehension and worry; through his mind ran all the things that could be wrong with his daughter – if, in fact, they weren't imagining this after all –
He reached the edge of the roof just seconds before Relena did. They were in an open square, with nothing nearby to hide a little girl. "Oh, jeez," Relena whispered, her throat constricting. "Where are you, Amy, honey, where are you?"
"Here, Mom – " came the weak little voice.
Heero caught on before Relena did. He sprang to the very edge of the roof and, hoping against hope, looked down.
And there, hugging her knees to her chest, up against the wall of the building, sitting all alone on a three-foot square of concrete seven hundred feet above humanity, was their daughter.
AN: Ahh…well…review? Maybe? The little blue box is beckoning, calling you…heeheehee…