Disclaimer: No own. Duh. xD;;;
Warnings: No proofreading went into this chapter … lol. Scared? xD
Note: Semi-important note at very bottom after replies to your lovely reviews. :DDD Enjoy~
Chapter 10: This Crazy World…
It was uncommon for Usagi to be so nervous and lacking composure.
Well, she might not have full authority to say that since she's only known the girl for a week and a half, but as Minako straightened Usagi's shirt and batted away her fretting hands, she had to smile. It felt as if they had been together forever, she and Usagi and, yes, even Hiiro. It felt as if they were inseparable … though Hiiro might beg to differ.
"They're going to see right through me the instant I walk through that door," Usagi whispered, gazing out the window and wringing her hands. "I'm nowhere as smart as Miss Relena," she turned back to look plaintively at Minako.
She smiled encouragingly. "Don't worry about it. Remember all our studying up on Miss Relena? Nobody knows half as much as we do with the exception of those five. And you can always bluff your way through."
Usagi stared at her before laughing. "Right, I can always just say 'hmm, I agree' to everything." She struck a comical pose, rubbing her chin thoughtfully and raising an eyebrow. "Of course, I might be laughed out of the room."
Minako grinned. "That's the spirit!"
…………………
"Take deep breaths," Minako whispered as she straightened Usagi's dress shirt. "But don't look as if you're gulping in air."
"That's impossible!" Usagi hissed at her, already short of breath. She bit her lip. "I haven't been keeping up with current events at all."
Minako straightened and pursed her lips. "What about that reporter friend of yours? The really pretty, dark-haired one?"
Usagi rolled her eyes. "She manages a gossip column. It'd be useful only if Mr. So-and-so in there were fascinated by the latest rumor about whom Miss Relena is sleeping with."
Both of them automatically turned toward Hiiro who frowned.
"So?" Minako prompted.
He stared back at her blandly. "So what? Was I sleeping with Relena?"
Usagi blanched and Minako grinned. "Yes, were you slee-ow!" She turned around and, rubbing the back of her head, glared at Usagi.
"What she meant was no, could you update me on current events?"
Hiiro blinked. "The most major current event you two participated in already - Miss Relena's coming back. Other than that … you don't have to worry about it. Just repeat back to me everything that goes on in that meeting."
Usagi sighed and turned to look at the closed door. "If that's what you'd wanted, you could've just sent a tape recorder in. It would have done a better job than I will."
Minako smiled and patted her on the back. "Don't worry, Usagi. Hiiro will be out here in the hall the entire time."
"Hn."
"That's not reassuring," she muttered to herself before turning the knob and stepping in.
…………………
Everybody stood up when she entered.
"Miss Relena, please." The President indicated a seat next to him. Usagi smiled in return and gratefully took it.
Everybody sat down again.
"We were just discussing how your recent returning from your … vacation," he shot her a dubious look at this, "will make prospects much brighter than they had been." He hesitated and smiled, folding his hands. "How should I put it … we were quite worried there for awhile."
Usagi fought for words. "Mr. President, I am sorry about my recent absence but I hope that we can effectively return to business."
"Yes, of course. Lady Une? Would you please give us all an update?"
With a blank face, Une stood up and strode to the other end of the table, opposite of the President.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we come here today with this room completely soundproof and laced with extreme measures of security. That is because this meeting is a prelude to war."
…………………
"How do you think she is doing in there?" Minako whispered quietly out in the hall, glancing up at a standing Hiiro.
"I don't think you should be here. Anybody might come by and mistake you for Relena."
Minako bit her lip and stared apprehensively at the closed door. "That's not the problem, is it, Hiiro? Are you worried? Is Usagi in danger? Tell me why you're worried."
He didn't say anything for a moment and then slowly, hesitantly, he started, "It has nothing to do with her personal safety."
"Personal safety," she repeated quietly, trying to hold back the red mist of alarm and fear.
"Most likely it has nothing to do with her personal safety," he amended. "But the walls around that room are thick. At least half a foot of reinforced concrete. That is without counting the wooden frame and the heavy insulation. No sound will travel through it. Nor will it travel through the door, wooden but with a steel core." He paused and sighed to himself. "There are a myriad of important people in there. If they all died at once…well. You can imagine the catastrophe that will cause."
Minako shivered and rubbed her arms, staring at the door. "It's like we're sending her to the wolves."
…………………
"This is the position of Earth to the colonies." Lady Une struck with a pointer at the screen onto which the powerpoint was projected. "This conglomeration of lights here," she pointed, "is colony L2 with a population of less than one billion people. In AC 201, it surpassed L1's population censuses and is projected to overtake L3 in AC 218, thirteen years from now. That makes L2, currently, the second largest colony cluster as well as the most rapidly developing one."
She spoke without having to glance down at the sheaf of papers in front of her, lights casting an almost eerie glow on her glasses.
"Two months ago, on December 11th of A.C. 204, L2 made a sealed shipment to an anonymous receiver on Earth, still unidentified. The arrival of this shipment, if everybody here will recall, coincides with the second major outbreak of SARS in Canton."
Usagi could hear her heart's strong, accelerated beat, and tried to hide the trembling of her hands under the table, wiping sweaty palms on her dress skirt.
"Due to effective management and because security was present nearby, the outbreak was mostly contained without making too much an impact on the news. However, several other similar packages were intercepted in the last two months, numbers totaling to, " for the first time, Lady Une glanced down, "twenty-three different shipments. They were transported in airtight, pressurized containers. Upon analysis, these packages contained various popular albeit outdated biological weapons such as the first case of SARS, anthrax, tularemia, and Ebola."
There was utter silence in the room. The air conditioning hummed in the background.
"The doses were concentrated to such a degree that if all previous shipments were released in major metropolises and core areas, we would be experiencing something as extreme as the Bubonic Plague in medieval ages."
Lady Une sighed and let her hands fall to her sides. "So far there have been no repercussions to our intercepting these packages to this unknown receiver but at the same time, there have been no leads nor clues as to who sent the container or who will receive it. This meeting is somewhat an emergency largely because in the past two weeks, shipments have increased in frequency so that almost every day, one is confiscated." She hesitated. "We don't know if we're getting all of them. Security has been tightened but … there is no guarantee that twenty-three is the total number of containers shipped."
The President cleared his throat. "However, due to this alarming increase in frequency, we have called this meeting of only those who can put a stop to it or negotiate a means to avoid a violent confrontation with L2," he stated, looking pointedly at Usagi. "Miss Relena, you are the most direct and most trusted link between Earth and the colonies. We hope that you might negotiate with L2 administrative officials so that they can raise a sum and send out a professional search party."
"Yes, I will attempt to do so," she responded quietly.
"However, realize that if you and various other diplomats fail, then we will have no choice but to declare war on the colony of L2. This will cause a most dismal chain of events as L1 is allied with L2 and will come to its aid and L3 is allied with us and will be inevitably pulled into the war. In this second galactic war, only L5 and other developing and peripheral colonies have the chance of remaining neutral. It will be once again, a universal war."
Usagi stood shakily. "Mr. President, I don't think now is a proper time to be threatening war. Until certain proof is discovered, we have nothing against L2 other than that one person - one person - is shipping biological weapons. We mustn't allow one person to trigger a galactic war! I believe that we should continue to search for this person, enlisting the help of the colonies, and until definite proof comes, we should refrain from declaring war and instead focus entirely o-"
The blue-haired woman opposite of her, silent until now, slammed her hands onto the table as she stood up. Usagi jumped, her words faltering.
"Miss Relena, you mustn't be so presumptuous and insolent with Mr. President." The blue-haired woman looked up, revealing solemn, azure eyes. "Until proof comes? What if proof comes in the realization of another Black Death? We must be realistic here, Miss Relena, and at times, this realism can translate to cruelty. If you are unwilling to protect Earth and the colonies at all costs, you are unwelcome in this council-"
"That is enough, Miss Ami," the President's baritone voice broke through her calm and deliberate tirade. He turned back to Usagi. "Miss Relena, I admire your idealism but, like Miss Ami has said, we must consider reality as well. Until we get a definite and positive response from L2, the threat of war will remain."
Usagi hid her clenched fists behind her back and nodded numbly, sitting down. Miss Ami slowly lowered herself as well, refusing to meet her eyes.
"Any other questions? Ideas?"
A general murmur of no came in reply.
The President stood. "Well then. Needless to say, the things discussed in this conference do not leave this room. This meeting is adjourned. Miss Ami, Miss Relena, please stay for a moment."
The twenty-something notables filed out of the room silently. Lady Une nodded once at the President and closed the door tightly after her.
"Miss Relena, Miss Ami, I have decided that the two of you are obviously the most adept diplomats we currently have, with you, Miss Relena, being the more experienced," he nodded at her. "This L2 business is tricky and there is a necessity to not only present a façade for the masses but also to act calm in front of the council and intimidating in front of the L2 bureaucracy. Please, Miss Relena, Miss Ami, follow these guidelines when traveling around Earth and to L2. I will give you two months at most to get a positive response from L2. If that fails … well-"
He never finished his sentence.
Usagi fell back a step as Ami casually pulled the knife out of the President's neck and wiped it clean against her dress pants. Blood was still gushing out of Mr. President's jugular but his face had already slackened.
"A-Ami-"
"Please don't call me that name, Miss Relena. I'm not particularly attached to it." The knife gleamed in her hand. "I never intended to kill you but … your presence is a surprise, Miss Relena. Or are you? There are certain discrepancies. Your hair is darker than that color, Miss Relena. Your eyes are much grayer and you never address Mr. President as Mr. President. You are the only one in the council who simply refers to him as 'sir'. Are you comprehending me, imposter?"
It felt as if her whole body was shaking and she felt like crumpling to the ground. The most dangerous weapon on her person, Usagi realized, was her hairpin.
"If you promise to not scream, I'll promise to stop further shipments of biological weaponry from L2 to Earth. How does that sound?"
"Th-there's already enough here to start a plague! Who do you think you're trying to con here?" she replied with false bravado. "Tell me, why do you want to incite war between the colonies and Earth again? Why are you here? Who sent y-" She gasped as Ami carefully laid the knife against her throat.
"Be quiet," she ordered in an almost cordial tone. "You are not Miss Relena. Your death will mean nothing to the ESUN. It will never be recorded. The hierarchy is already corrupt, do you know that? No, no of course you don't. Nobody does yet."
"Please, whoever you are, please think this over! What can you have to gain by a universal war? What-"
"Oh please. Not that idealism again. I have everything to gain through war. Just like I have everything to lose if I let you li-"
There was a resounding clap of thunder and the knife clattered on the floor, Ami slumping to an unrecognizable heap.
"Are you all right, Usagi?" The quiet, controlled voice seemed to echo in her mind.
Her panicked eyes turned to the open door and then traveled to two joyously familiar faces.
"Minako … Hiiro…"
"Oh, Usagi, I was so scared! I…" Minako hugged her fiercely, the rest of her words muffled.
"H-how did you know to come? This room is soundproof."
Hiiro expertly holstered his gun. "We were given a tip-off."
"Yes, one of the people that left the room glanced at us and told us that 'conspiracy is afoot'. But we hadn't expected it to take so long to break through the door. To think that we might have … that you might have…"
Usagi glanced wildly about. "How can we explain this? The President is dead and…"
"We're your witnesses, Usagi. Or well … we're Miss Relena's witnesses." Minako smiled shakily at her. "War is coming … it's so close that I can taste it."
"No … no, we must remain hopeful. I have two months - no, less now because of this - but I - we - have some time to convince L2 to help and to convince Earth to accept its help. There is still hope … there is still-Hiiro?"
With pupils dilated, he stared at the two of them, seeing Minako and Usagi and then seeing two Relenas, Minako and Usagi, two Relenas, Min-
"Hiiro! Snap out of it!" His eyes focused on Relena's clear blue ones.
No, not Relena. Usagi. Or Minako?
He could hear himself panting.
Usagi's broken expression, her painfully courageous words … Minako's hesitant smiles, her despair over the inevitability of war…
Who were these two people?
For one brief but frightening moment, he had seen Relena in their place.
No, not Relena. At least, not the original Relena.
It was already beginning. The chain reaction was already in motion, creating an avalanche of events, of hatreds.
He was already affecting them. With sorrow and anger and fear. They were already tainted.
For the first time since news of Relena's sickness, Hiiro felt hot tears burn in his eyes.
…………………
WAHH!!! I'm so HAPPY! It's finished. Finally. What a painful chapter. xD Not quite as painful as the next Cry one is going to be, I bet. --; Daskete. xD Unexpected turn of events … lol … yes, even to me. xD [I was typing this up at around 2:30-ish a.m. … on a school night! So my way of thinking was kind of warped. xD] Because of this idiotic chapter, I will have to tweak the plot some … meaning … well. You guys don't know what it means yet. xD Muahaha. The sweet taste of power. xD Kidding. :D Thanks for reading! Yours, Angel. [why do I love this song so much?? xD Was listening to Numb – Linkin Park and Overdrive – Katy Rose ~~ Tati-chan's recommendation … o.o;; those two songs … over and over and over and over and over… :3]
****Note: Due to my utter stupidity and lack of foresight, Ami was used again. O.O;;; Thank you to Black Aura-sama who pointed this out to me. --; So if you care for details, I changed Usagi's boss from the beginning of the story to Setsuna. :D Cheater that I am, yes. xDxD Thank you~
SAVA: Lol thank you. :D Minako/Hiiro is cute … hrm … we'll see. xD Plot going through some editing … xD
Deidre Marie: Yes, yes, yes!! ::tears of joy:: Veryvery important theme/concept in the story. :D I'm glad you have described it so aptly. :D Yes, yes I find the swinging [well, not really swinging quite yet … but according to planning, there will be some severe swinging later. xD] between the two girls highly amusing. xD Over time, I have developed an acute penchant for distributing torture to my readers. It's now a hobby. :D Kidding. xD But yes, according to the previous outline … there wasn't going to be anything definite until, I believe, four chapters before the end. xD Which is a loooonng way off from now. :D But now that I have to edit it … maybe I can break that record. xD Lol. As for couples … I never really analyze the potential of them … xD;;; The final couple is more so based on turns of events … of course, along the way, I expect to encounter revelations about the characters, etc … but haha. I think whatever I'm struck with at around 3 or 4 in the morning goes. xD Thanks for the thoughtful review. :3
Lethargic Gackt Camui: :DDD!!! The special moment between Minako and Hiiro the chapter before? O.O;; That was special? Lol. It almost seemed like one of those strange opium den conversations … xD Kidding. :D Lol. Duo. :DDD!!! Duo-Hiiro interaction is very amusing. xD It brings joy to my life. xD Lolol. And your penname changing-ness is so cute that I want to smother you. With love. xD Jkjk. :D
Crazygurl70: Thankyou…! ;-; Lol. Not so much comedy in this chapter … nor romance … nor angst for that matter. xD It's a mutation. xD And you are very correct .. xD It's about 1/3 done. Wow. 1/3 already. And what have I done other than introduce conflict upon conflict…? xD;; Ah well. Something will come out of it. I promise. :D
Mimi: Lolol. xD It's less than two months! You know who you just reminded me of? Sohma Kagura from Fruits Basket. xD Uaaaa, she's adorable. x3 [I must gain at least one Fruits Basket convertee per day. You are my target. xD]
Dark Universe: Lol. Sorry to make you wait so long! Here's the lover-ly-y update. xD Well … monstrous update. xD Sorry. I'm in a strange mood. xD
BJV: Lol. It amuses me. xD As for Usagi's tearing up … lol. I was actually attempting to make her more … I dunno … human? She seemed kind of stiff in previous chapters so I was worried. xD Yes, the equilibrium between the two choices must be maintained. :D But thank you so much for analyzing the couples … it helps me think. :D
Tenshi-Hotaru: Lol. Am I in time for this next play? :D What CD is it? O.o;;;
Leeana-Marie-Malfoy: Yupyup. OOC-ness. The bane of fanfiction. xD Well … this repercussions of the last chapter haven't quite caught up to Hiiro yet … they will. By next chapter, I am sure. :D However, naturally, there must first be a phase of angst and denial. xD Lol.
AznxAngel: O.O;; Funny how you used that word "action" … xD Did you mean romance? Lol. Well. There is "action". xDxD And I particularly liked the holding hands part too. :3 Reminds me of Fruits Basket … ::happysigh:: Lol.
Lizzy Black: Lol. I'm glad! Minako/Hiiro is cute. :D But so is Usagi/Hiiro … ahhh the choices. xD What will Hiiro do? O.o;; Love triangles … I used to love them almost obsessively. Lol. Thank you~
Black Aura-Sama: LOL. That is hilarious. xD And so very soap opera-y. :D I hope it doesn't get as twisted as that … but we'll see. :D [I say that a lot … o.o;; Is it a bad sign? xD]
Usagi Asia Maxwell: YES! WRITE! And send it to me! Lol. I really want to see it. xD And friendly love is so sweet … lol. And much less angsty. Yes. xD
Water Angel1: Sadly … no signs of last chapter in here … lol. Hiiro doesn't do much … o.o;; Well, if you consider saving Usagi and killing Ami "not doing much" … xD But next chapter … heh heh … ::rubs hands::
Xixi: Lol. I am completely indifferent to Relena. But I have seen certain doujinshi pictures where she is paired up with Hiiro and … how shall I put it … very pretty? xD Am I traitor now? xDxD It's the ideal picture of her … my mental picture. And it's proved to be extraordinarily useful. :D So I use it. Relena is … usually very important to my plots. xD But well … not more fluffiness in this chapter. xD Lol. Maybe next? Or one ten chapters away from next? xDxD
Ashika: See Relena? Not for a lonnnnnggg time. xD Uaaa, I've been talking to you a lot online lately. :D What a difference … xD
Jewels14: Lol. I don't think romance comes into serious play until at least … hrm … two chapters from now? The rosy projection. xD But from then on … it's like a rollercoaster … --; Is that a good thing? Hrmm … I must break this cycle of quick romances … but really … writing romances make me cringe … lol. xD
Liquid Ice: Lol. I love characterization … it reveals so much about the characters … [to me … maybe not so much to you guys … xD] and makes writing about them so much more … personal? xD It's an intoxicating feeling. :D The pilots are in character? O.O;; Lol … whenever I watch GW, I wince … because fanfiction over the years have warped them so much! Who are these people? Lol. xD And Usagi … Usagi is causing me grief. She should be acting just like Minako … but isn't. I'm afraid I'm upsetting the delicate balance of this currently isosceles triangle … does that make sense? xD They must be equally likeable! Both couples must be equally likely! So Usagi … Usagi seems very stiff at the moment. --; Lol. Hiiro/Usagi-ness … I used to have attacks where I just had to read a cute, romantic-y, possibly angsty Usagi/Hiiro fic right that moment. xD So I ended up reading a lot of the older one shots more than once [because I'm too impatient for series xD] … and I keep feeling as if … either the fic withstands time or I get disenchanted with each rereading. xD;;; I have become more independent of Hiiro/Usagi … lol. It's a relief. Those attacks don't come anymore. xD Lol. Strange, aren't I? :D And I love pilots interaction in general. xD It seems a lot more interesting to write than senshi interaction … lol. I don't know. They seem to complement each other much more completely. xD Lol … Usagi's speech … will be, sadly, postponed. xD And definitely chaos occurred. xD Lol … threesomes … I actually considered it for a moment … but gave it up soon after. xD Too much editing to plot would have to be done … --; ~~ has reached the highest plane of laziness. :D
Forty Days and Forty Nights…
Lent is here! Well … I'm one day late … but lol. And even though Catholicism isn't my specific denomination, it sounds like something fun to participate in … not to mention the basic principles of it apply to all denominations. xD But … heh heh … I'm giving up any non-school-related activities on the internet … xD [aka I'm going to die … xD] So that means I will disappear off the face of fanfiction.net until forty days from now. xDxD Will I survive? O.o;; Who knows? --; But I'm sorry for this! It's just something I really wish to participate in. :3 And this is my going away present. :D It's not much … but it's …the thought that counts? xD To be horribly cliché, that is. :D Thank you for everything! I'll be back~ Lol. Yours, Angel.