Interrogations Begin
Meeting Room
"Now you see why I didn't want Trowa present." Duo said sadly as he turned the TV off. "I didn't want to believe it either but the voice has been analyzed, it matches Trowa's."
"Why would Trowa be involved with this? Maybe he's working undercover and wanted to keep it on a need to know basis." Relena said hopefully even as her common sentence told her differently. She refused to believe that Trowa meant her harm. He was her friend and that was final.
"He would have told us." Heero said shaking his head in disbelief. What was Trowa up to, he wondered. Eve claimed she was here to protect Relena, had Trowa hired her to do so? But if that was it why the whole cloak and daggers thing? Why not just come out and tell them about it. Plus the girl had broken into Preventers and they still didn't know why.
"I think that Relena's secretary is also involved." Duo said with a sigh, dropping the next bomb shell. "I checked deeper into her past and found some irregularities here and there..it just stuck in my craw that her name is Eve and...well you can see where I'm going. I also saw her and Trowa together the last time he was here and I think I saw him pass her something but I can't be sure. I figured maybe he'd finally decided to hit on a girl but well..yeah."
"You think Eve is Eve, don't you?" Noin said thinking it through, analyzing things as she picked them apart. "She started the day that our assassin broke into the offices and it's true that the best way to lie is to stick to the truth as much as possible. She likely figured that we'd never make the connection between her and Eve Tenchi, or that if we did we'd just think it was coincidence because it was just too unbelievable."
"But there's no way, they're so different." Quatre said shaking his head almost desperately. No, it just couldn't be. But that had been Trowa's voice and the way he'd talk to Eve...like they were really close. Like Trowa knew her a lot better then he did. How could she have done this, Quatre thought, the pain in his heart immense. How could she not have told him all of this?
"I think Duo's right, it's to much of a coincidence and if she was interested in keeping an eye on Relena this would be the perfect way to go about it. I say we take her in for questioning before she gets word and runs." Heero said with a nod to punctuate his words. "My gut tells me they're one and the same. It would explain how she got in here so easily and knows Relena's schedule. She's been running Relena's life after all."
"What about Trowa?" Noin said voicing everyone's thoughts.
"We'll wait and see." Heero said with a shake of his head.
)
The guys stood in the meeting room completely exasperated. They'd questioned Eve for over three hours but she wouldn't break. After the first hour she'd stopped talking completely. They'd tried every humane interrogation technique they knew but nothing they did worked or budged her an inch. They'd locked her in the interrogation room for the time being and she stood against the far wall staring at them through the glass as though she could see them. They were sure they had Eve, they just didn't know what to do with her. It wasn't like they had enough proof to charge her with anything after all. Sally had taken a blood test and she'd called a few minutes ago with her news. The test revealed that they had a Si Hanta on their hands and a very dangerous one she was.
"You need to let me in there." Sally said as she walked into the room, her face drawn and serious. She held a bag in one hand and she looked like what she was, a woman on a mission. She was going into that room whether they liked it or not. "Now."
"No you're not." Wufei said as he glared at her, his eyes telling her that he was letting her in there over his own dead body. He'd go to his grave laughing before he'd let her into that room with that creature. "She'll kill you."
"She'll die if you don't let me in there, Wufei. What use is she to you or anyone if she's dead? Not to mention what the people she works for would do to us" Sally said quietly, looking him straight in the eye to let him know she meant business. "Now let me in there, I'll be perfectly fine."
"What do you mean she'll die?" Quatre asked in the dead tone he'd adopted since he'd heard the recording of Trowa and Eve. It was like all the emotion had been sucked out of him and now he was left feeling numb and cold. He'd started the day on cloud nine and had quickly fallen down to hell.
He must be really worried about Trowa, Sally thought as she took in her friend's lifeless expression, reaching out a hand to squeeze Quatre's shoulder. It's almost like something inside of him has died, Sally thought with growing concern as she answered his question. "She requires medication to keep her body functioning properly, Quatre. She's not getting that medication. I examined the medication in her bag and it's designed to control the toxins in her body, she needs it now or the toxins in her blood will kill her and I doubt very much it will be a nice death. Obviously the scientists who created them wanted to make sure that their experiments were completely dependent on them for survival, likely to keep them in line. You don't obey you don't get your meds and you slowly die in agony. Effective huh? Now let me in."
"If we wait though she might be willing to talk in exchange for it." Milliardo said thoughtfully even though the idea was distasteful to him. He didn't like the idea at all but if that was what it took to get some answers he thought it was worth a shot.
"If she needs it to live then let Sally give it to her."" Relena said from the desk where she'd been going over everything in her mind. How could she have missed Eve's deception?
"No she won't." Heero said confidently, his eyes never leaving the defiant figure behind the glass. "She'll die first."
)
"You seem pretty sure of that, Heero." Duo commented looking up from some papers he'd been reading to look at his friend. "Why?"
"I am. We're two sides of the same coin, Duo. She'll put a gun to her head and pull the trigger before she betrays whoever she's protecting." Heero said as he absently fingered his side where his gun was visible. "Especially for someone like her..loyalty and pride are things she'd value most."
"You sound like you know her." Quatre said looking at him in surprise showing some emotion for the first time since they'd brought Eve in for questioning.
"I talked to her once, that was enough. She's another perfect soldier, a killing machine created to end the lives of others without mercy. We were designed to die for the causes of our creators without any thought of our own well being. Besides if we withhold that medicine, we'll be no better then the people who made her what she is." Heero said as he leaned his head against the glass. "And she knows that. She expects us to treat her badly...then again perhaps she doesn't." Heero said with a considering look. "She's obviously studied us..so she knows who she's dealing with."
"Give her the medicine, Sally." Duo said quietly as he broke the silence that had occurred at the end of Heero's words. "Heero's right. What kind of people would we be if we didn't? After the war we struggled to become regular human beings again. Let Sally help her."
"You can give her the medicine but one hint of danger and that's it, got it." Milliardo said harshly as he stared at them.
"Understood."
)
Eve didn't even bother to open an eye when she heard the only door in the room open. Her senses had already identified her visitors and so she waited to see what would come next. Sally's principles were too much like Relena to have been sent to question her. Perhaps she wants to run some more tests or ask some questions. For Sally's sake though she hoped not, she'd really hate to have to kill Sally. Trowa wouldn't like it and besides that Eve had no quarrel with the woman other then her profession. "Eve, I'm going to give you your medicine. If you try anything they'll shoot you." Sally's voice said softly and Eve couldn't help but smile a little as she opened her eyes to stare into Sally's concerned eyes. Should have known. Sally was pretty smart after all.
"I take it it's the medicine from my bag and that the blood test told you all you needed to know about it?" Eve said quietly in Chinese just for the fun of confusing the two guards with her. Let them worry about what terrible things she could be saying.
"You speak my language?" Sally asked, replying in Chinese as she motioned the guards to give her more space but wasn't really surprised when they didn't move an inch.
"Yes. I'm surprised that they didn't decide to use the medication as a way to get me to talk. I suppose I have you, Relena and Quatre to thank for that." Eve said as she watched the two soldiers watch her nervously. Obviously their fellow Preventer's condition after messing with her had made them weary of her. And they should be, Eve thought as she deliberately smiled at them evilly just to provide her with the entertainment of watching them squirm.
"We thought about it but Heero told them you wouldn't talk and the others agreed that it would be inhumane to withhold it from you, especially when the worst thing you've done to us is break in here and beat up Duo's soldier." Sally said as she removed the full needle with Eve's medicine from the bag she'd held tightly in her hand.
"Not doing something because it's inhumane, now there's a novel idea." Eve said as she stared at the needle with a mixture of need and hatred for it's hold on her. "You do realize that the medicine you're about to give me would kill you if I stabbed you or one of the soldiers with it." Eve added quietly in Chinese so that whoever was behind the glass wouldn't be able to hear her. "Your systems wouldn't be able to handle the chemicals in the mix."
"I'll take my chances." Sally said as she removed the stopper, well aware of the risk she was taking. "Besides, what's to have prevented me from contaminating it before hand?"
"Your conscience." Eve replied looking her straight in the eye with a smirk on her lips.
"Exactly. Just as your conscience wouldn't hold with killing me after I took such a risk to help you." Sally said looking straight back at her with a knowing look. "Roll up your sleeve please."
"If you can convince the soldiers I'm not going to kill them I'd prefer to just take it off, it's getting kinda hot in here." Eve said with a hint of humor. "Every time I move they point their guns at my head."
)
"Go ahead." One of the soldiers said rather insulted that she thought they were afraid of her. Of course they were but damn if he'd admit it to anyone but himself.
"Well thanks, sweetheart." Eve said with another dangerous smile and reaching down slowly unbuttoned the suit jacket and taking it off laid it down on the table beside her. Deliberately arching her back as if to stretch Eve watched the soldiers eyes immediately become glued to her revealed chest and mentally sighed with amusement. Men were so easy to control it was almost sad. Almost, Eve thought with inner glee.
"You know she could have killed you two right now and you'd have been too busy staring at her cleavage to notice before you were dying." Sally said with a hint of humor as well as she watched them blush at her words. . Instead of the frumpy blouse under her suit jacket Eve had been wearing a very tight black tube top and now looked very much like the seductive Eve Tenchi she'd once been. "Nice trick, Eve."
"Men are stupid that way." Eve agreed before she could think better of it. "If you'll give me the needle I'll inject it."
"It's not to leave my hands. Men's orders." Sally said with a shake of her head that sent her braids swaying. "Where do you usually inject it?"
"Right here." Eve said twisting her right arm and bunched her hand into a fist to make the vein larger. "Whenever you're ready."
"Okay, this will probably hurt." Sally said as she pulled out a container, pulling out a cloth soaked in alcohol to clean the area.
"No more then the other hundred thousand times I've had to do it. You don't need to clean the area, my immune system will kill anything that enters my body that wouldn't put down an elephant." Eve said as she grinned slightly as she shook her head at Sally. "Your tests should have shown you that."
"Nothing wrong with being careful." Sally said as she moved Eve's arm closer to the light after cleaning it just on the principle of the point. Watching Eve's face closely Sally slide the needle into the vein and injected the chemicals into Eve's blood stream. She'd studied the medication before hand and this had to hurt but Eve's expression never changed and she showed no signs of trying to stop her. Pulling the needle out Sally pulled a Band-Aid out of her pocket and handed it to her.
"Thanks but it's already stopped bleeding. I heal quickly." Eve said evenly her face showing none of her pain even though there was considerable.
"Do you need anything else?" Sally said as she closed up her bag, her mind full of questions she knew there was no way she'd get answers to.
"No." Eve said as she smiled a half smile that would have surprised her to see. "Thanks for the help, Doc."
"All right then, good-bye, Eve." Sally said as she nodded at her then headed for the door.
"Sally."
)
"What, Eve?" Sally said turning around. Surprised she watched Eve motion her back and curious Sally walked back to stand in font of her. "What is it?"
"He may be an overbearing jerk but if you love him, fight for him. If you wait you might never get the chance before he's taken from you and then you'll have nothing but your pride to keep you company." Eve said in Chinese as she deliberately looked past Sally to the hidden mirror where she'd bet she'd see Wufei Chang on the other side if she could. "From personal experience I can say that pride..well it can be more trouble then it's worth.
"How did you..." Sally said knowing exactly what she was saying and was surprised that the girl had noticed much less was bothering to comment on it.
"I'm a trained hunter, I studied all my prey and their environments. He loves you too. He just doesn't know it and when he does he'll run. You'll have to be quick to catch him."
)
Hours later
Eve stared at the wall and contemplated her life for the first time in a while. She was twenty three years old and had no real existence. If she died today she could count on one hand the number of people that would actually mourn her. It was a slightly depressing thought. And then there was Quatre. God what was she going to do about that. Even if she got out of here there was no way she could see him again. Heck she'd seen the look on his face when he'd watched the other pilots question her. He'd just stared at her as though she didn't exist, as though she didn't matter. That was the point of the problem, she wanted him to care. She wanted him to look at her with desire, with kindness and caring. The way he'd looked at her last night. She never wanted to see the blank look he'd worn again. Face it, Tenchi. For the first time in almost seven years you want something that's better off without you and you know that you have to leave it alone. And it hurts more then any experiment or injection.
)
"Eve?"
At the sound of the door and her name Eve turned to see Relena approach along with Heero and Milliardo. "Yes?" Eve said as she watched the three approach in a solid line like an unbreakable wall. Her brothers had done that, Eve remembered. Their faces were the same as Adam and Gabriel's had been too when faced with her male fans or possible boyfriends. The "you touch her and you're going to be in the hospital" glare. A classic really and one every big brother, or at least every good big brother knew well.
"I was wondering if I could ask you a question about one of the meeting reports." Relena said as she smiled hesitantly at her former secretary. She'd been trying to think of what she'd say to Eve once she got the chance..nothing good enough had come to mind.
"Yea sure, why not." Eve said as she grinned at Heero and Milliardo, simply to annoy them of course. From the looks on their faces they knew it too.
"Alright then. Here's where the problem is. Or should I say here's what I don't understand, Eve" Relena said holding out the computer printout. She'd lied to the boys about why she'd wanted to talk to Eve but that would just stay between them hopefully..
Reading it over Eve saw that in fact Relena had written several questions on the sheet of paper and apparently wanted answers to them. Why not, Eve thought with a shrug, having nothing else to do but be bored. "No problem. Got a pen?"
"Here." Relena said holding out one, watching her brother and husband both frown at the motion. Likely envisioning one of them being stabbed with said pen, Relena thought with a grimace. Thanking her Eve began to read over the questions and answered the ones that suited her. When she was done she added a personal note then handed the sheet back to Relena. "Thank you, Eve." Relena said taking it from her.
"No problem." Eve said as she gave Milliardo a sarcastic salute before walking over to the farthest wall in the room and sitting down watched them leave before going back to a new distraction she'd encountered. Quatre and what she was suppose to do about him. A lot of the things she wanted to do concerning him weren't likely to be realized, especially since she was pretty sure he really didn't like her right about now.
)
A couple hours later
"Let me try alone. I think she might talk to me." Quatre said, arguing his point again for what seemed like the thousandth time. "I'm Trowa's best friend..she might talk to me. Especially if she thinks it's in Trowa's best interest."
"And there's the fact that she actually likes Quatre, she doesn't like any of you guys." Sally added with a smirk on her face, sure that Quatre had another reason for wanting to see Eve. She'd noticed that Eve had spent a lot of her interrogation time looking at Quatre and she was beginning to think Quatre might just have feelings for this assassin, possible feelings that were returned.
"Yeah but all we need is her grabbing him and using him as her ticket out of here." Heero argued though he was beginning to come around. "Then again she's smart..she would know that she'd only get so far once the alarms were raised. That's likely why she hasn't tried anything yet. She'll wait until the best possible scenario presents itself. And Sally is right..she does seem to respond to him best. Plus it would appear that she's been protecting him, hurting him would be going against her mission."
"You sure you want to risk it, Q-man? I mean one of us could come in with you, hang around in the background just in case." Duo said with a concerned look on his face.
"She won't talk to me if anyone else is there. She'll talk to me if we're alone and she knows it's one on one." Quatre said quietly, needing to go in there and wanting to make absolutely sure he didn't have an audience. "Just give me ten minutes, that's all I ask. If she won't talk to me then that's that. All I'm asking for is the chance."