CHAPTER 2
Arriving at the Sanq Kingdom I flagged down a taxi and we began our trip towards the city. Once there I decided eating would be in order before I took my daughter any further.
'Mommy I'm hungry" Cassi said as she tugged at my skirt.
'I know dear oh look it's a restaurant mommy use to come here all the time when she was a little girl" I said as we entered the Blue Dragon Restaurant.
'Really?" Cassi asked full of curiosity. 'Did grandma live here?"
'Yes" I answered as we sat down and a waitress came over. 'We'll have a medium pizza with the works and extra cheese"
'Coming right up" The waitress said.
I couldn't help but smile, I had somehow missed this large city. I saw they had finally fixed the telephone pole I had rammed by motorcycle into when I was 16, not to much else had changed around the area. As the pizza was delivered me and Cassi enjoyed a good hot meal and drank our Pepsi's.
'Mommy where are we going next?" Cassi asked.
'We're going to the mansion on the hill babe and then you'll get meet some of mommy's friends" I said as we left the restaurant.
Now as we walked towards the mansion I had a good mind to blow up the place where it stood and laugh about it afterwards. But the only Meg was gone I had taken her place a business women that didn't clown around on the job and didn't blow up things anymore. Of course I could still have a bomb made or deactivated in less then 2 minutes flat but I had given up on that life.
I looked at the mansion as she walked towards it, they had rebuilt the gardens the mansion making it more glorious then I remember. After the Mobile Suit attack everything from the gates back was totalled and destroyed. Two guards stood on the gate entrance so I picked up Cassi and putting on my sunglasses I walked over casually.
'Can we help you ma'am?" They asked.
'I suggest you stand upright when talking to a superior officer L.T" I snapped using my military influence, I recognized him from the Red Angel division of OZ I had been running when I was being used by Treize.
'Excuse me?" He asked.
'It's been a long time L.T Sanders" I said and removed my glasses, 'My name is Pilot 02"
'Miss Maxwell?" He asked in a gasp.
'The one and only and as I said before Ralena has an appointment for me..and shave that face LT your starting to look like a bushy old dog" I chuckled.
'Yes Ma'am open the doors" He said.
They doors were opened and I walked into the grounds, it was a shorter walk then I remember. Then again I usually didn't use the front entrance when going into the mansion the back way usually suited my needs just fine.
'Mommy look at the pretty flowers" Cassi said and pointed over to the rose bushes.
'We'll stop and look at the flowers later alright honey" I said and hugged my daughter I got to the doors.
There standing at the doorsteps was Dorothy Barton formally Catalonia, but she married one my fathers friends and thus changed her last name and had my friend Kaito. She was beginning to show old age I saw her long golden hair had turned slightly silver and her skin was showing age also with slight wrinkles. A pair of fancy glasses covered her face and probably helped her sneak over Ralena's shoulder to see reports too.
'May I help you?" Dorothy asked.
'Dorothy now I'm surprised" I said, 'It's me Meg"
'Meg oh my dear lord you've" Dorothy said and almost lost for words looking me up and down, 'uhhh changed"
'Yea well job and everything yea know iv moved on in my life" I said and Cassi suddenly stared up at Dorothy and hid behind my legs tugging at my skirt.
'Mommy who's the lady with the weird eyebrows?" Cassi asked and I couldn't help but laugh.
'This is the friend mommy told you about you know Dorothy" I said.
'Ooo you the same Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz?" She asked innocently.
'No dear that's a different Dorothy" I said.
'Oh I don't see the harm besides I like that story" Dorothy said, 'Those red slippers are fashion sense hidden in a children's book"
'Uh right" I said as Dorothy leaned over and giggled.
'Who's is she a friends?" Dorothy asked.
'No she's mine" I said and Dorothy looked at me and then down at Cassi as if stunned.
'Your joking right?" Dorothy asked.
'Not at all" I answered, 'Come on Cassi we're going to Mommy's meeting"
'Are we gonna blow up the Pink Devil's house mommy?" Cassi asked and I smiled innocently and Dorothy gave me a look.
'Figures" Dorothy said, 'Hey why don't you come with me and I'll show you some books to read"
'It's alright you go with Dorothy and please behave" I said.
'Ok mommy" Cassi said.
I walked down the hallways of the mansion and saw not much had changed in the rebuilding of the mansion a few rooms were out of place and there was twice as many bathrooms on the second floor as I remembered. Then I came to a door that stood out in my memory more then any of the rooms in the house.
Touching the doorknob a small camera popped out and a scan suddenly went down my hand.
'Identify confirmed welcome pilot 02" A voice said and I walked down the stairs.
There they were, still all perfectly as I remembered them. The gundams me and my friends piloted, Amazon stood to the right, Shadow Archer stood to the right while my gundam was in the middle.
'Angel" I whispered and smiled, 'It's been a long my old friend"
Then another mobile suit caught my eye and I walked over, I was surprised they hadn't dismantled it and melted down this wonderful gundam for scrap parts yet.
'Wing 0"
Running my hand down it's armour I sighed remembering all the battles we had been through and all the sorrow my gundams had shared with me.
'Who are you…what are you doing down here!" A voice said and a man came from the corner of the room.
He was an old man with long white blond hair and a cane held in his right hand. He wore a white suit with gold trim and looked at me with those familiar blue eyes that always stared at me when I was in trouble.
'Zechs…I see you've kept them in perfect condition" I said and Zechs looked at me oddly.
'Answer my question" He said and I stood up perfectly straight and smiled a huge smile. 'Dear gods….urg I should have known it was you Meg"
'Almost didn't recognize you for a second old man" I said.
'My sister told me you were coming back but I didn't expect you have changed so much" Zechs said, 'Gods your father would have a heart attack if he saw you standing there in that suit looking like a business women"
'I'm surprised she didn't have them all melted down" I said and looked over at Amazon and Shadow Archer.
'Yes well she was going to but Sally and I convinced her that they might be of some use in the future" Zechs said.
'Well I wish you had let her melt them….specially wing 0 that machine has brought so pain to me" I said and looked up it's dull green eyes. 'I hate it"
'You didn't say that when you were younger" A voice said and up on the top of the stairs was an aging Sally.
She didn't look old, besides for a few grey hairs sticking out her two messy braids she looked as she did years ago.
'Yes well I grew up" I said.
'I saw the kid she looks like you" Sally said.
'You have a child god forbid" Zechs said.
'Oh please your fine with Ralena's son" Sally said.
'Ralena has a…son?" I asked.
Sally lead me upstairs once again and into Ralena's office on the third floor. There sitting in the chair dressed in her white and pink uniform Ralena sat, her sun kissed hair was tied back in a pink ribbon. In the room standing next to her was a boy about 5 years old, he had blond hair that curled around the bottom and his bright blue eyes looked straight at her. He was wearing a pair of jean overalls and a white shirt.
'Megan Maxwell?" Ralena asked looking at me stunned also by the change I had went through.
'Yes" I answered.
'Mommy mommy mommy" The little boy said and hid behind his mothers legs, looking at me with strangely familiar blue Persian eyes.
'This is the girl I was telling you about" Ralena said and the little boy looked over at Meg and walked towards her.
'You're the bomb girl" The little boy said, 'Your pretty"
'Oh..thank you…your eyes are quite interesting" I said and I looked up at Ralena. 'He's Heero's isn't he?'
'Yes" Ralena said and suddenly a small boom was heard as suddenly Cassi came running into the room and laughed as she hid behind my legs.
In came Dorothy god id never forget the look on her pitch black face.
'Cassi what did you do?" I asked.
'Uhh…" She said.
'Why didn't tell you tell me she could makes bombs dear god I was only showing her how to do her hair with hair spray and next thing Boom!" Dorothy cried.
'Like mother like daughter" Ralena chuckled.
'Oh" Cassi said and walked towards the boy, 'Hi I'm Cassi what'z your name?'
'Heero" The boy answered.
'Wanna be friends?" Cassi asked and took the boys arm. 'Good wanna play hide and seek?'
As they played outside in the hallway I smiled, it was nice that Cassi had made friends with Little Heero even if I don't know he agreed on the whole friendship thing.
'Now down to business" Sally said.
'Of course" I said and sat down.
'I guess you've already heard about the Preventor murders and everything" Ralena said.
'Of course I read the newspapers" I said seeming pretty pissed off with the very thought of doing any job for Ralena..Sally I don't mind it was Ralena that drove me up the wall.
'We need your help in catching whoever is doing this Meg" Sally said.
'Why should I?" I asked giving the two women death glares, 'I am not your little gundam pilot anymore…that Meg died a long time ago"
'You'll only have to do this for us" Sally said, 'Then we'll never bother you again"
I thought for a moment and turned to Cassi who was playing with Heero down on the floor and they both seemed to be enjoying themselves. I watched her smiling face laugh as she accidentally burped and she laughed even more. I smiled as I slowly took my hair out of from the bun and removed my glasses, I looked at the two women.
'Fine" I said.