Rain on the Roses
By: Starlight-x
Chapter 13: Vengeance is Mine
The only way he managed not to explode with impatience and frustration was to keep his focus on the here and now. Trowa shifted his weight, all of his attention trained on seeing the signal that would allow him to finally move in on the group that had been responsible, albeit indirectly, for his wife's injury. He sensed the glances the other members of his squad sent his way but ignored them in favor of keeping his concentration.
He watched the second hand on his watch tick away the remaining time and then he was free. He leaped to his feet, urging his unit forward; they followed him without hesitation
00000
They came too soon. Chris resisted the urge to laugh as he watched the group he'd nurtured fall into chaos. Not that he'd expected anything less from Preventer. They were a well prepared and well run organization. Layla had done her best, but Vengeance moved like a sluggish giant.
"All this because a kid got impulsive and Jess turned traitor." Chris walked casually through the building back to his makeshift office, leaving Layla barking orders and trying to evacuate the remaining Vengeance personnel. The raid had happened as Chris expected and yet with a suddenness that threw his subordinates into confusion. He listened to the noise that grew as Group Vengeance was rounded up with the efficiency that was a Preventer standard. He ignored the racket and the sound of shots being fired as he made his way back to where he'd left his knapsack. Crouching just inside the doorway he pulled out his gun and slung the knapsack over his shoulder.
As he stood up he heard someone call his name. Turning he saw Layla hurrying toward him. "It's useless." Her eyes sparked with anger and finality.
"True." Chris agreed as he began walking again. He had known that there was no way Vengeance could stand up to Preventer in an open fight. He had molded them into a shadow organization. They performed from out of sight. They weren't mercenaries; they were assassins.
Now, at the end, Chris knew it was time to abandon his position.
"Where are you going?"
To Chris' annoyance he saw that Layla was still following him. "I'm leaving."
"Take me with you."
Chris opened a door and peered out cautiously into a small parking garage. Preventer would have the building surrounded but this garage was partly underground, deserted, barely hanging onto its title. All it contained were junked and forgotten cars and a ratty tarp over a pile of what appeared to be trash. Chris headed over to the tarp, pulling it off the trash pile and beginning to toss the trash aside. Buried underneath everything was a motorcycle.
Layla wrinkled her nose as Chris carefully wheeled it away from the trash before heading back and retrieving a helmet. "Will that even run?"
"Don't let its appearance fool you. It'll run fine." Chris gave the seat a couple careless swipes with his hand, sending some accumulated dirt flying.
"Great. Let's go."
Chris turned and raised an eyebrow skeptically at her. "And what makes you think you're coming with me?"
"This." Layla pulled out her gun and pointed it at him, clicking off the safety as she did so.
For a moment Chris' gaze moved from the gun to Layla's face. Then a smirk appeared briefly and he shrugged as he turned away. "Fine. There's another helmet back there." He gave a wave in the direction of where he'd hidden the motorcycle.
He listened as Layla rummaged around in the trash before coming back with the other helmet.
He slipped the knapsack he carried on. Certainly it would be uncomfortable for Layla with that in-between them, but it had been her choice to come along, not his. After that he straddled the bike and started it. The engine turned over and roared into life, more quietly then might've been expected. Chris pulled on his helmet and then turned to look over his shoulder at Layla. She was fiddling with the strap on her helmet but gave up on it when he waved impatiently at her. She may not have anywhere to go but he did. After all, he'd had an escape plan all mapped out since that nasty business with Glenn. Layla's gun had disappeared somewhere on her person and she slipped onto the seat behind him, her arms encircling him with a firm grip.
Once he felt her settled on the seat behind him he took off, slowly as he exited the junked garage. Once outside he wasted no time dallying and accelerated. Preventer would be after them in a heartbeat and he wanted as much of a head start as he could grab.
As he pulled out onto a busier street he had no less then three cars following him. The cars themselves were easy to shake in the heavy traffic that intensified the nearer he drew to his destination. He felt Layla's grip around his waist loosen as she turned her head, trying to see behind them. Chris cut across traffic to get to his exit, ignoring the honks and brakes squealing as he did so. Layla abruptly tightened her hold and he smirked.
He pulled into the spaceport and parked in the temporary parking lot. Layla pulled off her helmet. "What the hell do you think you were doing?" She stormed.
"I needed to get off at that exit." Chris hung his helmet on the handle of his bike. He adjusted his knapsack and headed for the terminal.
"You drive like a maniac." Layla followed him, still fuming.
"I got rid of our tails though." Chris responded calmly.
"What are you doing here?"
Chris shot a quick glance back at her. "What do you think I'm doing here? I've got a flight to catch." He lengthened his stride.
"Where are we going?" Layla seemed to have no problem keeping up with him.
"I haven't the slightest clue where you're going." Chris avoided a small family and their luggage easily. "I'm headed for space."
He felt Layla's hand close tightly around his upper arm. "I told you I was coming with you."
"So you did." Chris kept walking, hardly deterred by her grip. "But now it's time for us to part ways. You unfortunately wouldn't make it through security with that gun you're carrying, besides that, I only have one ticket."
"How are you going to make it through security? You're carrying a gun too."
"I am?" Chris lifted one eyebrow and shook her loose. He turned away. "Don't even think about threatening me with your gun, if you shoot me you'll have security personnel on you so fast it'll make your head spin." He took a couple steps and paused, turning back to her. "Here, catch."
Layla caught the object he tossed.
"The keys to the motorcycle. Hope you know how to drive it." Chris explained unnecessarily as he turned away.
Layla watched him disappear into the crowd and closed her fist around the small set of keys she held. Her eyes blazed for one instant with irritation before she too turned and left.
00000
The raid had gone smoothly with only a few minor injuries on the part of the Preventers. The Vengeance members were rounded up and now sat waiting to be transported to a more secure location. Regardless of their successful raid Zechs still felt a measure of apprehension. He'd been standing to the side examining faces, and so far he'd seen no one who fit the description Jess had given for the leader of Group Vengeance.
"What's the matter?" Noin had come to stand quietly beside him.
Zechs shook his head slightly. "I'm probably being ridiculous, but somehow I can't shake the feeling we didn't managed to capture the leader."
Noin was quiet, her own gaze flicking over individual faces as she searched. After a moment she turned back toward her husband. "I think you're right." She let out her breath in the tiniest of sighs. "We have a report that a motorcycle with two riders was seen leaving this area. Several agents followed them but lost them in traffic. They're still looking of course, but I doubt they'll find them again."
"Well," Zechs shook his head again. "I suppose we shouldn't have expected anything less from him. From what Jess told us, Chris was a very smart guy. Leave it to him to have some kind of backup plan."
"Let's look on the bright side." Noin looked over the huddled group of Vengeance adherents. "Group Vengeance won't be operating anymore."
"That is one good thing." Zechs agreed.
"Most definitely a good thing." Sally agreed as she and Wufei came to stand beside Zechs and Noin. "The entire building's been cleared and a few runaway stragglers captured."
"This operation has been a success I would say." Noin exchanged a glance with Zechs. He nodded in what appeared to be reluctant agreement.
"I still would've liked to get my hands on that leader of theirs. From everything we've seen and been told he's cold-blooded and ruthless, not to mention smart."
"What's to say we still won't get him?" Wufei asked. "There's only so far he can run. We'll find him, wherever he goes, however long it takes. He probably knows we won't stop looking for him."
Zechs nodded. "Never."
00000
Quatre shut the door to Zechs' office quietly behind him and turned to the vidphone. Preventer's raid had gone well. Group Vengeance was officially shut down, even though there were still a few rogue members here and there to pick up as well as the missing leader to locate. All in all, it had been a successful operation. With the closure on Vengeance Quatre had remembered that he hadn't yet called to check on how Winner Enterprises was doing.
With the sharp nudges, courtesy of a guilty conscience, urging him on he had secluded himself to contact his sister.
After all the preliminaries required to make an interspace call, he dialed Ariel's office number.
Expecting his sister or at least his sister's personal assistant to answer Quatre was understandably startled when a stranger showed up on the vidscreen. "May I help you?" The woman smiled pleasantly.
"Yes, I'm Quatre Winner. Could I speak to Ariel Winner please?"
"Oh, Mr. Winner. Ms. Winner informed us you might call. I'll transfer your call right away, just a moment please." The screen went blank and Quatre sat back, somewhat dumbfounded. Transfer? Why would he have to be transferred? Had he somehow dialed the wrong number?
He didn't have long to wonder.
"Quatre! I was wondering if something had happened to you." Ariel's face appeared suddenly on the screen.
"Did something happen?" Quatre asked, concerned.
Ariel shook her head, alleviating his worry. "No, no. Everything's fine. You're just so conscientious that I was surprised you hadn't checked in before this, that's all."
"Well, I have been rather busy." Quatre admitted a little sheepishly,
"So it would seem." Ariel gave a satisfied nod and sat back in her seat. As she did so Quatre caught sight of her surroundings and his forehead wrinkled in puzzlement.
"Ariel, what are you doing in my office?"
"Your office?" Ariel glanced about her. "Oh, well, I suppose it was your office originally, wasn't it?" She propped one elbow on the desk. "Not anymore little brother. You've been officially reassigned." She tilted her head and the corner of her mouth twitched as if she were suppressing a smile. "Didn't you get the memo?"
"Reassigned? Memo?" Quatre shook his head in total confusion. "Ariel, what are you talking about?"
"Well, I guess you could say you've gotten a transfer."
Quatre shook his head again. "I'm the CEO, the president, the original bigwig of Winner Enterprises. You can't transfer me. Who decided this?"
"We can't can we? Sorry little brother, but we have. And the 'we' you're wondering about? That would be all of your older sisters, at least the ones who still live on this colony and particularly the ones who work in the family business." She let out a peal of laughter then. "Oh, if you could only see your face right now."
"You're serious." Quatre felt dazed.
"I'm serious." Ariel controlled her laughter and leaned toward the vidscreen. "Honestly Quatre, how many executive decisions require you to be physically present here in order to make them?"
"A few."
"Hardly any." Ariel corrected him. "Besides that, the company's expanded to Earth and video conferences aren't that hard to arrange."
"I suppose so."
Ariel sighed and rested her chin on her folded hands. "Answer me truthfully Quatre. Where would you rather be? Here on the colony or on Earth? And if you say on the colony I'll know you're lying."
"I would rather be here, on Earth." Quatre responded quietly. "But I have responsibilities…"
"Oh, you can be so thick-headed sometimes." Ariel said in frustration. "I thought we'd already gone over that. You can take care of all your responsibilities on Earth just as well as you can here. Your job doesn't require you be in any certain location. I'm well able to handle things here and you can handle things on Earth, no problem. If anything requires your physical presence I can contact you and inform you about it. Besides that, if you're on Earth you won't be here moping around because you haven't seen Relena in next to forever."
"I didn't mope." Quatre protested indignantly.
"No, you didn't. But I'm certain that if you come back here you most certainly will." Ariel sat back again in her chair. "Now don't be difficult. Rashid's on Earth right now, looking over prospective houses for you along with a friend of yours, Duo Maxwell."
"Really." Quatre shook his head again, this time in resignation. "I suppose there's nothing left to say."
"How about thank you?" Ariel asked. "I only wonder that I didn't think of it sooner. You'd never do it for yourself, so someone would obviously have to make the decision for you. Well, I suppose I shouldn't take all the credit for this plan. It was actually devised by someone else."
"Who?" Quatre asked, curious as to the identity of the person who had thrown his world into a somewhat appreciated chaos.
"It wasn't Duo, if that's who you're thinking. He thoroughly agreed though, when I contacted him and was more then happy to help. As for who actually came up with the plan, I'm not sure I should tell you right now."
"Never mind." Quatre gave a slight wave. "I think I know who did it."
"Be nice Quatre." Ariel raised her eyebrows meaningfully.
"Aren't I always?" Quatre gave an innocent smile before saying goodbye and hanging up.
00000
The first thing Trowa noticed when he entered his wife's room was her laughter. The second was the enormous bouquet of flowers sitting on a side table. "Middie?"
She looked up at him. "Hi sweetie." She wiped at her eyes and chuckled again.
Trowa pulled his normal seat over to the side of her bed and sat down. "What's so funny?"
In response Middie handed him a small card.
Trowa opened the card and read the message written inside.
To my nosy friend,
Thanks for interfering.
Quatre
P.S: Don't do it again.
For a moment Trowa stared at the message before looking over to where Middie had started laughing again. "What exactly did you do?"
00000
"So, you're moving to Earth?" Relena asked, curiously.
"Actually, I don't appear to have much of a choice." Quatre admitted. "Middie came up with idea and called my sister. Ariel jumped on it and the rest, as they say, is history.
"I can't say I'll be complaining any." Relena snuggled closer to him. "Besides, Eddie would miss his Uncle Quatre. He's become used to having you around." She looked fondly down at her son, playing contentedly on the floor with some toys. At the sound of his name Eddie looked up and smiled before turning his attention back to his playing.
"Well, I won't say I'm unhappy with the decision, but I don't dare show too much joy, otherwise I'll be overwhelmed with meddlers." Quatre spoke half-jokingly. "My sisters…" He let his sentence trail off suggestively.
"Don't worry. I doubt there'll be any more attempts at meddling, at least for a while." Relena consoled him.
"You're probably right, but I still can't help feeling a little cautious." Quatre glanced down. "Ariel would be perfectly happy if I didn't show up on the colony ever again, but I don't think that's going to work. There are a few things I'm going to have to oversee personally if I'm going to be moving residences."
"How soon?"
"Very, otherwise I won't every want to leave."
"Well, I guess that puts a damper on my announcement."
"What announcement?" Quatre looked at her curiously.
"I've decided to withdraw from active political duty. Heero and I made our relationship work around my busy schedule, mostly because we were together all the time." Relena blushed slightly and interlaced her fingers with Quatre's. "Our relationship is different, we're both busier then two people have a right to be. Besides that, I have a son who's already fatherless. I'm not going to make him grow up without hardly ever seeing his mother."
"Are you one hundred percent sure?"
"I think so." Relena nodded slowly. "I'm not withdrawing entirely. I'll still be available but only in an advisory capacity, at least until Eddie is older."
"So, who knows? Other then me I mean."
"Not many. I think you're the first person I've told since I actually decided that was what I was going to do." Relena gave a little shrug. "Zechs and Noin haven't been around for longer then necessary. They're still tracking someone who got away on that last raid Preventer pulled."
"Mmm."
They snuggled for a while longer before Relena sat up with a suddenness that startled Quatre. "Rashid and Duo are house hunting for you?"
"Uh-huh." Quatre raised his eyebrows. "Why?"
"Oh, my." Relena swallowed and then began to chuckle. "I think you're in trouble."
"They're not allowed to close on anything. I give the final okay and sign whatever needs signing." Quatre waved his right hand in a nonchalant fashion.
"Well, I guess that means not everything's lost then." Relena sank back down and relaxed again.
"Maybe you should go house hunting with me?"
Relena considered for a moment. "Tempting, but I'll have to think about it."
"You will?" Quatre straightened, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. "Are you refusing to spend time with me? I can't believe it." He began to tickle her.
Relena shrieked with laughter and tried to twist away from him, but wasn't able to. After a moment Quatre released her.
"You know something," Relena began. "Even with everything that's happened, I'm happy."
"That's good to know." Quatre closed his eyes and relaxed. He opened one eye to stare at Relena. "I'm happy too. I'm perfectly content to be sitting here with you like this." He picked up Relena's hand and pressed a kiss to her palm.
"Things are going to be different, aren't they? With you moving to Earth and me resigning as Vice Foreign Minister."
"Yes, but we'll be together." Quatre caressed the back of her hand and looked at her, sincerity and promise in his eyes and voice.
"Together. I like the sound of that." Relena smiled at him and leaned in for a kiss.
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A/N: What is it with me and thirteen chapters? I don't know but that about wraps this story up, save for the epilogue, which shouldn't take that long to write. (At least, I hope it doesn't take that long to write.) As you can probably tell, there will be a sequel, but I'm not entirely sure when I'll get around to writing it. I have several other stories that I'd like to get at first. Well, hope you enjoyed!
