This Fic starts less than a year after Libra, but several things are different. Relena had no part of the 195 war with the Gundam pilots other than meeting Heero in space who she helped from time to time. Many soldiers are still alive and it was the people who worked together to bring peace not the politicians who tried to move history into their direction. Unofficially, the colonization of Mars has begun, but things are starting to heat up when many disputes intensify.

Special Thanks to the reviewers:

Purple-Jaxie

Nicoli

Jero

JasLine

SerenityDeath

Sam

Andi

Lena

Jellybean-kitty

Standard Disclaimer: Characters and other aspects of Gundam Wing belong to their rightful owners, this work is purely for enjoyment.

Gundam Wing

Ballad of Revolution

From the Desktop of Rei "Of Reminiscence"

Episode Two: Step Forward into Terror

Heero listened to the phone ring as he scrolled down the screen of his laptop. Brrring… Brrring… Brrrrrring… The ringer annoyed him, but it was more because no one had picked up the phone than because of the shrill jingle. Brrring… Brrring… Hey, this is Relena for the Aroma Coffee House. Please leave a message, name, and number so we can return your call. If this is an order… Heero turned out the rest of the recording and left a brief message saying "call me back". He had called Relena for two days now and she had yet to return his phone calls. Wufei had arrived to Preventor Head Quarters that morning, took the desk across from his in the Special Operative Section, and since then had only risked curious eyes toward Heero every time he picked up the phone. Heero also knew the other Preventors were watching him and internally winced when Wufei took the direct approach to stand before his desk.

"Yuy" Same stance as always, if only a little more pride and nobility in the Chinese dragon.

"Chang" Heero dropped in the pen in his hands and met the gaze of his fellow co-pilot.

The Chinese man eyed him before crossing his arms, "Who is so important that you're trying to reach? You look like a fool who has lost his woman." Heero had the distinct impression he was talking about more than Relena.

Heero leaned back his head and closed his eyes. Chang was pilot and Preventor that went beyond efficient. Wufei had realized far before the other pilots that OZ had manipulated the pilots to kill Romafeller's peacemakers, and could accurately interpret enemy attacks to turn them back against their own. Paired with Quatre's skills, the two made a formidable team for planning battles. Unfortunately, Wufei's anger sometimes caused him to act as if he was invincible. "Just someone I know. She received a letter a few days back and when Trowa and I went to deliver the encryption I stopped by her place on the way back. It's her letter I've been analyzing."

Wufei's eye brow darted up on his brow. "We are working to stop a revolution and you're your looking at a love note for you girlfriend?"

"No. She saved my life once, and we keep in touch, but its nothing like that."

"What's the matter then?"

"Relena has been missing since the day I met her and the letter she received has certain ties to the revolution. For some reason, a man within the revolution was interested in meeting her." Heero's fingers moved across the laptop's keyboard pulling up the ties between the letter and the up coming mission. "They could be investigating her because of my involvement and periodic visits."

"Is she one of them? Do you doubt her loyalties?"

Heero shook his head and turned the laptop's screen around for Wufei to see—hating the man's doubt in Relena, "No more than I doubt my own. This is clearly their first attempt to reach her. Relena is a "M status" Orphen Wufei—she's content with her life though it more than likely she'll never do anything but run Aroma her coffee house. Romefeller's battles killed her parents, OZ destroyed her Home, and when a White Fang suit crashed into the colony her adopted father lost the use of his left leg."

Wufei's eyes flickered down the hall, "Years ago before Zechs was forced to leave the Peacecraft name, home, and beliefs, he had a baby sister named Relena." The photograph, plainly framed in glass with black borders, showed Relena with flip flops, and long pants. Her top, a combination of a long sleeved shirt underneath a collared t-shirt hid most of her curves and the coffee stained apron wrapped around her slim hips. The smile the blonde girl wore though attracted most of the attention. She obviously harbored feelings for her friend, the man who took the picture.

"It's unlikely that Relena is Zechs's long lost sister—she has always lived in space."

"Whatever we might know or think is quite different from what they know or think. If they think they found Zechs's long lost sister and the girl friend of the first class special operations Preventor Heero Yuy it won't matter what we think."

The silence stretched between them for a long moment. Wufei met Heero's eyes as the phone rang and Heero clicked the 'accept' button. "Preventor Yuy"

"Heero Yuy? This is Louis Smythe—Relena's father."

"Yes sir, I was hoping you were Relena."

The line was silent for a few breaths and Heero could just faintly hear the sound of a woman's voice in the background. Heero waited patiently for the older couple to address him again, but until then he vowed that after everything was over he would buy and install a vidphone for the Smythe residence no matter what Relena said. Wufei read Relena's letter over more carefully and nodded his head briefly then nodded when Heero brought up the information given to him by Doctor J.

There was noise over the line before it died off and Heero heard a woman's voice tight with worry and pain. "Heero?" Relena's adopted mother breathed a shaky breath into the phone, and Heero had the vague idea that the woman's throat was also tight with the tears she had cried. "Aroma is a mess, and some officers are here now. What can we do? They took her and she never had a chance."

Heero felt odd as he said the necessary "call if there are any developments" "Thank yous" and "good byes". Relena was, Heero knew, an important part of Smythe household—not only had she taken over the business, but she showed the older couple love and compassion that many children did not have for even their natural parents. Wufei was right—this was more than just a mere coincidence. Information from the doctors mentioned a lost child, and if they saw Relena as the lost sister of one Zechs Marquise then they would have to change their approach towards the revolution. This coup d'état played not to resist but to stand and conquer using the enemy's own probable allies. Heero stood up and pulled his jacket over his shoulders "Wufei, call in the others—I'll be in Une's office."

Quatre smiled at the other three Gundam pilots assembled and faintly wondered where Trowa was. Miss Noin was of course sitting to the right of Zechs and across from Heero. Composed of only the best Preventors, the meeting looked shadowy before the newest intelligence reports even came in. Wufei's call had been brief—"Preventor office ASAP. Revolution imminent." But Quatre's departure had been anything but brief—postponed meetings, apologies, day to day matters, and a stowaway on shuttle X389 all had to be delt with before he left his father's business in the hands of his two closest sisters.

Duo had arrived hours before and so he had some knowledge of the latest developments while Quatre only knew what he had from his own sources. Wufei's eye narrowing gave him a hint on how annoyed the independent pilot was at his lateness. Une entered then and the crowd of ex soldiers straightened in their seats. Heero, Zechs, Wufei, Duo, Noin, Po, Marcus, Rachel, Shido, and three other first class top clearance Preventors. Not Good.

"Good After—well, good evening Preventors, I trust you all are doing well. We have a lot of work to do. It is still unclear who the revolution is but we do know that they are starting to make their move. An iron-ore satellite has but off communication and contact beacons. What intelligence we have managed into the organization has told us that it is now under the Revolution's control. Their plans are still unclear, but we suspect that they have kidnapped various individuals to secure their power. If you look on the screen you'll see a picture of the latest victim—"

"Miss Relena!"

The crowd in the room turned around to stare at him. "Mr. Winner, do you have something to add to this debriefing?" Une's voice was sharp and similar to the one she used to control OZ's soldiers.

"When was she taken? Relena, I mean—I've met her."

Heero tossed a folder of papers down the table, "About 80 hours ago, right after I left for Preventor HQ."

Quatre's jaw dropped, "Impossible. I saw her ten hours ago."

Relena breathed heavily into the cool recycled air. The shuttle's owner had been exceedingly polite, excusing her passage, and having his sister, a doctor, set her arm into a soft cast. He also gave her some food that she had stored into a bag and money (which he apologized for not having more money in cash to give her). Relena's lame excuse was accepted, even though she was sure the young business man could see right through her lies. Abdul, one of the man's men, accompanied her back on to the shuttle that would take her to L2. The last leg of the trip to the colony then started with Relena in the company of the Magwanac Corps. It was an easy flight through space then but the growing guilt of her lies made her uncomfortable sitting in the presence of the men that adored Quatre. The young man had helped her without reservations or prejudice. Relena sighed, she missed the cool yet cheerful disposition of the one Quatre Raberba Winner among the zealous Arabians.

Her hand went to the necklace about the neck to remind Relena of Heero's promise of protection. Abdul noticed her worried expression and reassured her that they would see her safe to L2 and it would be best if she took a quick nap. The nap was short-lived though as Relena woke up to Abdul's shaking and the clicks of guns. The other members of the Magwanac Corps stared down at her and Abdul's close friend repositioned his grip on the gun's handle, "Just who are you?" Relena had no answer as the men outside surrounding the shuttle called out to hand over the girl.

In the background, Quatre hurried to contact the shuttle, or at least, Abdul. The other pilots and Preventors sat at the table listening to the report of an informant in the main room. Quatre prayed for all he was worth when the screen turned from a black and white blur to the vague image of a man's face. "Shuttle this is zero-four report please."

Abdul's face grimaced, "Master Quatre we've encountered enemy fire at the dock, I'm afraid we'll have to bale." Someone to Abdul's right screamed out in pain as the circuit overloaded, "I

wish Rashid was here."

"Abdul, listen to me, where is Miss Relena? Is she safe?" Quatre thought he saw Heero turn to watch him.

"Dom went with her sir—She's somewhere on L2, and with any luck, Dom already has her with her friend."

Quatre grimaced, it was too late to bring Relena back here. "Understood, get out of there and come back to base. Send your ETA to Rasid and await further orders from me when you get back." Abdul's consensus was cut off and Quatre remained on the line for a minute more before cutting the connection. Relena was not safe—not yet at least, and her proximity to the arsenal of the Revolution unnerved him. The informants debriefing was just ending when he once again entered the main room. A foreboding that filled the room pervaded his spirit and no one appeared interested in expressing their thoughts or feelings on the matter. Instantly, Quatre became aware that the intel brought by the informant, though desired, was shocking. Upon expressing his conversation with Abdul, the mood only barely lightened.

Une's fingered were steeples in front of her face as she contemplated the situation. 'They are taking drastic measure to secure Relena Smythe. Why? Even if she was, undisputedly, the lost child of the Peacecraft dynasty, what is so important about this one girl?"

Zechs cleared his throat, "King Peacecraft had secure ties to the colonies—they could be using her to tie the people together to make a united front. But I am surprised that they wouldn't use a name more closer to home—"

Une cool gaze watched the exchange between Zechs and Heero, "No there must be something else we aren't seeing. Winner you said that they were already waiting for your men when they arrived at L2. That means that they knew Relena was on that shuttle. I suggest we put a team together to get her and bring Relena Smythe back here. We'll have to go now if we have any chance of reaching her first."

"I'm on it—"

"No Heero. Relena may be to reach Duo on your advice, but obviously your identity is compromised. You'll go with Noin and Wufei to the Smythe residence and question them. Duo, Quatre, and Zechs will go to L2. The rest of you will work on the revolution. Sally, you'll also go with Duo's group, Relena might need a doctor." Une turned to the rest of the Preventors, "Marcus, and Rachel you'll take Shido, Alex and Lois with you. Divide up and patrol, but do not engage the enemy unless ordered. You'll be the senior officers on your assignment so use your training and best judgement. Follow instructions and no heroics. You may request three or four 1A level Preventors to supplement your ranks, choose wisely and send the list to me for approval. Good luck and use schedule Omega—if you do not report in, we will expect the worse." The Preventors broke up and Une saw the brief exchange between Noin and Heero before the room cleared out leaving her alone with Pilot 01. "I know you're angry and think you should be leading Duo's team, but you're the only one who knows the Smythes and I cannot believe that they know nothing of the Revolution or Relena."

"Are you suggesting that they know who Relena is? Zechs has only admitted that Relena and his sister share the same name. The doctors might have suggested spies among the civilian population, but if the Smythes were a part of the Revolution, they could have handed Relena over years ago. They could have handed ME over during the war. Send someone yes, but I think I'm a lot more qualified then Preventor Marcus and Preventor Rachel. As their first command mission—"

"Preventor Yuy, your identity is known by the enemy and you are the only one who knows the victim's family. This is an organization devoted to keeping the peace, not keeping our own agendas. This is your assignment."

Heero shrugged away eyeing the pictures before, "I got her into this, I'll get her out."

Une narrowed her eyes, "If she really is Zechs's sister than I doubt that you had anything to do with her conception. Attend to your assignment Heero Yuy."

Relena pressed down on Dom's arm to stop the flow of blood. They had lost their trail over an hour ago, but she didn't want to think what would happen if they lingered too long. Her clothes were filthy, but even that didn't compare to the state of Dom's arm which had been ravaged by a dog. Relena's arm before was an irritation, but now it throbbed painfully with each heartbeat. Dom had jarred the arm earlier he threw her down behind him to face the dog's attack on his own. His wound, though it didn't seem serious, wouldn't stop bleeding. Trying the keep her mind off her shop, parents, and the pain, Relena thought about the situation at hand. She wondered if there had been any reports made about her disappearance, or if Heero knew about her almost capture. She knew that Heero had little time for girls and coffee, she hoped that this might drag him away from his prototypes for a little while. Relena snorted with more mirth than anyone should have in this situation, she never even realized that there was such competition between test pilots.

"Whats so funny Miss Relena?"

"I'm just wondering what my friend will say about this."

Dom smiled and leaned his head against the building, "If he went as far as offering help against something like this, than he had to be protecting you from something he knew would happen."

"I find it hard to believe that Heero thought this would happen."

"Heero. As in Heero Yuy the pilot?"

"Yes! Did you test new prototypes of shuttles and mobile suits too?"

Dom eyed the young woman before him, "I guess you could say that. I just never knew Heero had any other friends."

"I met him during the war." Relena tore the sleeve of her shirt and tied it tightly around Dom's arm.

Dom blinked, Didn't we all… "Forgive me, I am just surprised that its Heero who offered you protection. Heero and I briefly worked together I guess you could say, but my ties have always laid with Master Quatre."

Relena smiled sadly thinking of the blond haired man, "He is very nice. I lied to him you know."

"Master Quatre would have helped you no matter what you said. We knew you said lies, but we also knew that you had an honest soul." The man paused at the sound of approaching man. Holding up a hand to hold any sound from Relena he began searching the surrounding area. "Miss Relena, please listen. That has to mean they found us. I'll drawl them away while you climb down. Once Master Quatre tells Heero about you, he'll come looking."

"But I can't just leave you here."

Dom shook his head and with a grunt pulled the cap to the sewer off. "If these people want you because of Heero, then we have to make sure that they don't. Heero has enemies who would do anything for leverage against him." Dom looked at the confused face at the young woman before him, "You remember how far I said we would have to go? Good. Keep on going and you'll make it."

Relena slipped down into the sewer and cringed when her feet sank into the filth. Watching Dom close the iron cover over her felt like her fate was already sealed, but she turned and started moving. The doctor, Quatre, and Dom said to run to Heero for help and she knew that was the only choice she would or could take. The pocket light on her key chain faithfully peered down the underground road of sludge and sickness with its meager light. Ten… Eleven… Twelve… Relena counted the years away from Dom and to her hopeful safety. The light made the shadows that accompanied her wake. A figure dart across her path and she stopped. "Hello?" Relena braced herself against the slimed walls as two more figures joined the first. The three laughed like hyenas at the colony zoo and leaped out at the shadows to mob her. The flashlight and Relena's shriek fell silent swallowed by the darkness.

End of Chapter Two

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NEXT TIME: Episode Three – Pervasion of the Spirit

Heero longed to draw his gun as he stared into the faces of those who Relena loved. Instead, Heero clenched his fist, "You betrayed her."

Noin watched the raging emotion flying across Zechs's face before they settled behind the mask she knew so well, "They knew the truth all this time and never told anyone including Relena. Its not your fault."

Relena moaned as the debris shifted above her until the metal sheets pulled away. Her arm throbbed and she resented the men who stood above her and Hilde. Something deep inside screamed for her to get up and run, to flee the men with distant eyes, but the voice quieted to the encompassing murkiness that came with the prick of a needle.