Saint Gabriel Institute
Relena looked around for Heero near the entrance. He knew they would be coming. She promised him. Where are you, Heero?
"Relena." Noin opened the door. "It looks like we can go inside. It's the weekend, no one will be here."
"It should be closed." Oh, Heero. "I understand. Heero unlocked the doors."
"Where is he?" Noin asked as Relena went inside.
"He'll only show if it's positive," Relena said, understanding that much. He wouldn't risk any chance of being seen with her now. She reached in her purse and pulled out the new test. Precautionary. Zeches had been telling her that the other test was probably good enough, and if her nerves rattled her, she could take another test at any time, and still go to Saint Gabriel for Heero's benefit.
She wouldn't do that though. Although she was preparing a speech in her mind, she would be as cautious as Heero. After this test, as long as it had been, her decision would be sound.
She took her test package into the stall. She did her business, and came out. She washed her hands as she kept track of the time. Not long. Last pregnancy test.
Watching it and the time. She bought one that was digital that stated 'negative' or 'positive' on the device. The best one on the market on Earth. Then, as she kept watching, not much time passed as it started to write dots across it's screen. When it was done, it would have it's answer.
"Are you done yet, Miss Relena?" Noin asked through the door. She had been polite enough not to come in.
"Almost." Relena smiled, knowing she was ready and waiting to hear the negative to call and tell Zeches. "I will be out soon." She didn't hear Noin answer. Instead, she heard a sound outside. Heero? She went toward the door, and it opened up.
With two people she never saw before, pointing guns at her. In the middle, was Heero. He was dressed in nice clothes, more posh than his regular wear. "The illustrious Relena Dorlain," he said strangely. "You're mine."
What? It was Heero, she could tell it was Heero, yet he whipped handcuffs around her wrists? What are you doing, Heero?
"You've just been jacked by the Phillips," one of the men she didn't recognize said. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
What did she have to say? Relena looked toward the corner. "Positive." She glanced back at Heero. He wasn't surprised at all. Just what are you up to, Heero Yuy?
She cooperated quietly as she was taken to a van outside. Noin had been knocked out. Really, Heero? What was going on? She was placed in the back of the van, gently by Heero taking over.
The other two did come in though and looked at her.
"Insane the theory worked, Heero," he said from across the room.
They continued driving for some time with Heero not saying a word to her. She didn't dare to say a word either as she tried to understand what Heero was up to.
When they stopped, they were in front of a simple residence.
"You need something else, Heero?" One of them asked.
"No. I'll be in on Tuesday as I prepare Relena," Heero said to them as he took her out of the back of the van. As it left, she waited. He still didn't explain anything, just going inside with her cuffs on.
Relena waited on the inside, still handcuffed. Even a pacifist reaches a limit. "Congratulations on the new profession and family, Heero Yuy."
Heero seemed to get the hint and undid the cuffs. "Take a seat, Relena."
A seat. Relena took the nearest seat on a couch.
"Duo Maxwell never joined his family," Heero said. "So I did. I'm part of the crime syndicate that is hunting Dorothy Catalonia."
What? "Why?"
"Why else?" He asked. "You're Relena Dorlain, pregnant and on the run with Heero Yuy currently. I didn't have many choices. I'm getting rid of the one thing I can." He went toward the small kitchen. "The rules are simple. I find Catalonia, I hold her until Gin Phillips or Middie Une kill her. I find Trowa Barton, and I kill him." He came back to the door with a glass of water. "Here."
He couldn't honestly be doing that. Relena took the glass of water. "I don't understand."
"Life isn't easy, and until I find RTL, then it's going to stay like this. Nothing is changing. I've already called Trowa before I took this job. He knows to stay out of my line of sight," Heero answered. "If I do see him, I have no choice but to follow through."
What?! "You would really kill your friend?"
"I'm on thin ice enough out here. I had to find a place that would protect us, and this was the most satisfactory I had," Heero answered. "I never called Quatre, but I told Trowa to tell him when I safely had you. I told the Phillips that Zeches Merquise took you away, I was desperate, and I would take any job or task for some protection. A couple of proof samples, and I was in their good graces."
Relena took a sip of the water. Heero. "You knew."
"I switched tests last time," Heero admitted. "I needed you out of the way to make this happen. The only reason I have you is due to the Phillips investigating and finding you, to get you back to me."
"The only reason you have me, is because you chose the place and time," she corrected him.
"Not to them. That means they believe that it's safe. When an assassin is outed, death or protection must await you. I didn't choose death."
"With the lovely handcuffs, I suppose that makes me an unwilling runner as well," she pointed out. "Is that the one thing you could change, Heero? Whether I was escaping with you or not?"
"If anything happens to me in the line of duty, you are to be returned unharmed to Zeches Merquise," Heero said. "They will make sure that the fact you didn't run with me willingly would be revealed."
"But, why?" Relena asked. "How did you know this family would take you in as fighting for them? One would assume right away it would be best to kill someone like you."
"Like I said, I proved my worth." He didn't explain how. "Duo had told Mrs. Phillips about Hilde Schbeiker and him, in comparison to Trowa and Middie Une. Even though she was angry and shot at Duo, she also listened. When I contacted them and told them the same thing, her beliefs had changed. The fact that you just scored a digital positive only proved it more."
That's why he really wanted her testing right then and there. "Proof positive." It would be a great coincidence if Heero Yuy ended up in such a jam as Duo described. Proving the point so well with her testing too. "Good enough to even fool me, Heero Yuy."
"Just behave," Heero warned her. "This family isn't that gentle. Stay out of the way and don't talk to anyone."
"Why do you have to kill Trowa then?" Relena asked. "Why is that such a profound order?"
"Gin Phillips, Duo Maxwell's half brother, is in love with Middie Une," Heero told her. "Mrs. Phillips saw how much Gin is willing to kill for Middie Une to keep RTL off of them, so she wants Middie Une for Gin. Trowa is an exceptional fighter, so it's imperative to have someone as exceptional as him. It's that simple."
Hmph. "That's a terrible reason to kill."
"It's a good enough reason to hire me," Heero answered. "I can also dig into RTL even deeper with their resources. The ultimate goal is to find and stop Revenge of the Lost. An alliance with an enemy of my enemy is the best place to be."
"The ultimate goal?" Relena closed her eyes. "Heero, even if you do, what good will it do? The fact of the matter is, I am still pregnant."
"You would be safe and be able to go back to your position," Heero answered. "I would go back to my life. That's good enough for me."
Not for me. She noticed Heero staring at her too. "What?"
That look. Heero knew about that look. He didn't know the first time he met Relena what it meant. It took time to understand Relena Dorlain's line of thinking. She was not a typical student back then. He threatened her with death, and she seemed to be following him to get that mission completed faster. It wasn't until later that he started to understand her.
She set her sights on goals, and like him, even if it meant her life she would proceed to accomplish those goals. She did it often with alluring charm that swayed the audience, instead of fighting and mobile suits back then. The goals weren't the same, but she went after what she wanted.
It was an involuntary look. It meant there would be a battle with Relena herself. As Duo would say, Mommy wants daddy in the picture. "It would be worse with me, Relena."
"I'm right here. You were the one who kidnapped me," Relena said, taking him at his exact words.
"I'm not good father material." Her eyes weren't changing.
"I see," she answered. "That's a strange thing to say at this time."
"I mean it, Relena." Damn. "Relena."
"Heero. I don't blame you for this situation," she uttered. "I understand why you chose this path. I hope that you never have to open fire on Trowa or Dorothy."
"A man who would kill his own allies would make a terrible father."
"If you planned on killing them, you wouldn't have warned them," she came back with. "You are only doing what's best for us. I understand that. I am sure they understand too. Did you give them any kind of help before warning them to stay back?"
Double damn. She was always good. Even now. "Yeah," Heero said. "I let Trowa know the exact location where I met Dorothy Catalonia specifically. Gin Phillips and Middie Une will eventually find their way there after looking hard enough. He'll beat them there and be ready."
"I hope Trowa Barton does get to her," Relena said.
"He will." Heero already knew that. Trowa would be pulling out all the stops. He'd get Middie Une, and get back to Earth.
The Colony Heero Met Dorothy Catalonia
Middie Une investigated under the table and around it. No longer having to wear the religious veil, she moved around easier in her hoodie outfit again.
This should be the place according to what they gathered up. She didn't see any evidence that showed them where she left to next. "She was pulled away from here, and then someone came after her, knocking law enforcement out." Middie got back up from the table. "They say he resembled Quatre Winner."
"The former gundam pilot?" Gin asked. "Whoah. That's strange." He scratched his head. "Duo Maxwell was at Finn's house, claiming he was some half-brother of mine. I wonder why someone as rich as the Winner estate would want her?"
"If he was a gundam pilot, then there's no predicting whether this was him or not. Still, it's a clue," Middie Une insisted. "She might be with him, hiding in the colonies."
"Breaking into the Winner Estate is going to be the heaviest yet," Gin said. "We'll need more than a little backup. Quarantine should be over soon. We'll relax up here and wait for more help to take it on." He smiled at Middie Une. "It has been one long week though. I thought we'd never get out. No place had the gall to just send us straight up, only to pass us on to another station. We inched our way up here."
"No one wants to be responsible for spreading it to a single colony." Middie Une felt Gin touch her shoulder.
"Come on, One Song. Let's go do that relax thing," Gin insisted. "They have nice hotels in this colony. It's a healing colony. Bet they are nice enough for us to take our minds off things."
Middie stood up. "Right." Middie embraced the hoodie hiding her face. A double hotel bed didn't sound relaxing to her. Why even try to protest. Gin is taking you in, like it or not. No one can fight this family, and no one can fight RTL. They are RTL's enemy, so it's the safest place to be. She moved away with Gin to the nearby hotel. Except?
Something. Something was wrong.
"One Song?" Gin called for her. She had taken off running for some reason. Bathroom? Nah, they were right next to a hotel. "One Song!" Then, he spotted her. Not far away, sitting at a table. "You startled me, One Song." He sat down next to her. He glanced back to her. Something was strange. "You okay, One Song?"
"It's not One Song."
Oh. Shit. He knew that hoodie looked slightly darker.
Trowa flipped off the hood and grabbed Gin as he struggled. "Where's Middie Une?"
Gin danced in the air, his legs not able to touch the ground. "Trowa. Barton." He could barely breathe. "Don't hurt her."
"I would never hurt her." Trowa glanced around again. Middie wasn't like Gin, she had moved away as soon as she felt an uneasy presence. Trowa had been hiding behind them with an outfit similar to her so that he could take out Gin's men, and then get to Gin and deal with him. "Are you assigned to kill Dorothy Catalonia?"
"I don't want to," Gin said. "Revenge of the Lost is making us. You are working for them too, right?"
"If you go after Middie Une, I will make you pay." Trowa let him go. "You don't have the eyes to kill anyone. It doesn't mean you can't get those eyes." Then, Trowa stopped. He spotted it. Movement out on the side. Strange leg movement for a second, trying to hide behind a wall. "Middie Une." He called for her, this time not wasting one moment with what ifs or wonderings. She wasn't far and she would be listening. "I am not here to gun you down. I don't know what lies they made up, but they only want to hurt you by making you kill someone who is the same as you. Pregnant and manipulated by Revenge of the Lost."
"She's pregnant too?" Middie's voice came from the general direction he suspected. She came out in a slower walk, a little wrong. "Are you sure?"
Trowa couldn't see past her hoodie, but he knew it was her. Trowa let go of Gin and flipped backward, showing up behind Middie, and sealed her against him with one arm.
No Name grabbed her and pulled her away without a word.
"Please don't do this, No Name, I wasn't a part of the raid that hurt your family," Middie pleaded. She was desperate. No Name was one of the best fighters at the time she was a spy, and he was only a kid back then. "I mean Trowa." She tried not to aggravate him any extra. He brought her to a rental car, let her go and pulled a gun on her.
"Get in," he demanded. He saw Gin approaching from behind but kept his gun on her. "One move and I'll take her out right now."
Gin held up his hands. "Please, man, have a heart. She would have been like a toddler at the time of your-"
No Name cocked his gun, silencing him. He looked back at Middie. "Get into the car."
No choice. Middie got into the rental. No Name headed toward it himself but kept his gun trained on her as he got inside and started it.
"I'll get you back, One Song!" Gin yelled as they started to take off.
"What are you going to do with me?" Middie asked as they started to move away from Gin and all hope of safety.
"Nothing, Middie Une. RTL is a trickster." Trowa steered the car with his gun trained on her. "I couldn't take the chance that you didn't believe me. You aren't carrying a child of a person named Finn or Gin. If you are pregnant, then you are carrying mine," he finished. "All the gundam pilots are involved in their own similar problem. Do you believe me?"
Middie looked at his gun. "Your sister is Catherine Bloom."
"I know what you are thinking," Trowa responded. "Her past looks like she could fit in that group, but she isn't a part of it. She hates war."
Middie didn't know what to believe anymore except that, once again, he could have killed her. He still didn't. There is a good possibility . . . he could be telling the truth then. "Why are the gundam pilots involved?"
Trowa took a minute to answer. "The Gundams took thousands of lives. To them, the pilots of those Gundams, we deserve their biggest dose of justice."
Did he gulp? Middie couldn't quite tell. Trowa never did that. His emotions were hard to read. If he did that?
"The theory so far," Trowa continued. "They want to kill you in the same fashion as our own mothers died."
Oh. That sounded like Revenge of the Lost alright. It made more sense too, as sad as it sounded. Middie rubbed her arm. "I believe you." No matter how much No Name's sister fit, it just didn't seem right. She watched him lower his gun. Then it's him. She could still be pregnant, but if she was, it was Trowa's. They want to hurt the pilots? Who could hurt him half as much as me being the one? Nobody. That's beyond cruel.
"Before or after?"
Middle looked back at him. Before or after what? "What do you mean?"
"The injuries," Trowa said. "Duo said you were injured. Was it before or after they knew?"
Oh. "Both. Nothing near the stomach." There. That should make him feel better. Although? He still didn't look good. She couldn't risk asking yet, but she was wondering. How did his mother die?
How was she supposed to die?
Oooh, that Trowa was not getting her! Middie was carrying his unborn nephew. "Mom, she's gone." Ooh, an earful. "I couldn't follow, it was the Trowa No Name guy. He didn't kill her though. He could've done it right here. She said back at the apartment, he didn't do it either. I think he's holding her." Yeah, it made sense. "I don't think he will kill her, but I think he's holding her. Making sure I do it. He even said she's pregnant, but that's probably just to twist the knife." Damn them. He didn't know if that part was real. He never personally killed anyone in his entire life. "Middie must be insurance. He only said that stuff before he grabbed her, trying to lure her out." His mom agreed that it made sense then. "I promise, I'll do it. I'll do it for Finn's memory, his kid, and the family. Meanwhile, spread the word." Yeah, the tough question.
Gin could live in one world or another. He could have had a mansion, his own ring of girls, and everything else under the sun. He didn't want that. He just wanted a normal life where he didn't have to watch his back for the rest of his. To get the kind of help he wanted though? "Fine, I'm in," he agreed. "Send out the word. Send out the picture. We need Catalonia. Alive only." If Dorothy Catalonia found her way back down, she wouldn't live long with the bounty he was putting on her. And that No Name, he better pray nothing happened to One Song! Like it or not.
Gin just officially got into the family business.
Duo and Hilde's Place on Earth
"So, who's excited to be going home tomorrow?" Duo asked as he slipped down his shades. "Last night of Earth programming, but I don't mind. Kind of missing everything on high."
"The God of Death misses things on high?" Hilde teased him. "Well, regular Hilde misses it too. I'm really excited to go back. Earth was nice, but it's no vacation. I'll be happy working in the junkyard again instead of this fast food craze down here."
"Yeah, but don't take it too easy," Duo warned her. "RTL is still out there, and I don't want them nabbing you, to try for a second time."
"I know, Duo," she said. "I know that I was really lucky in this. Relena Dorlain and Dorothy Catalonia weren't at all. The woman that was supposed to have Wufei's baby too. She isn't pregnant but . . ."
"Yeah, that's gotta be harsh," Duo said. "It's never easy when the only ones you knew, and the life you led, get burned to cinders." He knew that firsthand. "Wufei knows that pain too. He's taking care of her until RTL is done for."
"I hope everyone stays safe and connected, so we can watch each other's backs," Hilde said. "No one can win if we all keep vigilant."
"No can do, Hilde-Babe," Duo said. "Heero's working for the people that want to kill Dorothy Catalonia. If he sees her, he's kidnapping her. If he sees Trowa too?" He winked and turned his finger into a gun. "Kapow. He's supposed to shoot him dead."
"What?" Hilde of course didn't understand. "Duo, that's insane! Why is your friend Heero Yuy working for the enemy?"
"Because it's not his enemy," Duo answered. "RTL is their enemy too, and Heero isn't just fighting for a quiet place to stay. He's going to need something extreme to hide the likes of Relena Dorlain. Where else are they gonna go?" He waved it off. "It's no different than Trowa working for Oz and busting Heero and Wufei."
"There is a difference. Heero is supposed to kill and hurt his friends."
"Don't see that difference yet," Duo teased her. "Look, I know about it because he told us. He told Trowa before he took the position to watch out for him, and Trowa is supposed to tell Quatre as soon as Relena is abducted by him."
"Abducted?" Hilde asked. "What do you mean abducted?"
"He can't just be working for that group, walk on up in a car and go 'hey-mother-of-my-child! Yo, how ya doin'? Listen I know you like peace and all but I just turned assassin for a bad group. So jump in the back already, Babe."
"Duo." Hilde sat on the couch. "I guess, it is what it is."
"Everybody runs their own lives the way they think is best," Duo said. "As for us, we are much better off high in the colonies, running the junkyard. Don't ya think?"
"Yeah." Hilde nodded. "It's a little surreal though. One day you think you're pregnant, and then you just aren't."
"So?" Duo took off his sunshades. "You're not sad about it, are you?"
"I don't know how I feel about it," Hilde answered. "It feels like a waste I guess. All that drama, coming to Earth, and we leave the same as when we came."
"Yeah. Guess it does feel a little like running in circles with no new bundle of joy," Duo admitted, "but it's way better this way. I'm good at fighting and junkyard stuff, but I'd be lousy at the parenting thing. Sometimes you should just forget about the journey and concentrate on the destination. The destination happens tomorrow." Quarantine over.
"It sure was a nasty quarantine. Happened so fast, and now, it just went over almost as fast," Hilde noticed. "Strange, huh?"
"Yeah. Might have been RTL. Might not have. Didn't feel so attached to the colonies I was going to put anything at risk though," Duo said. "So? Let's spend a little wealth for the night. Call up a nice joint, and put in some reservations."
Hilde chuckled. "Pizza. Got it, Duo."
Yeah. Soon, pizza wouldn't be their go-to 'nice meals' anymore. Back to the Junkyard.
Back to a normal life.
Hotel in Nearby Colony.
"We'll stay here for now," Trowa insisted. "You are going to stay near me. RTL may still want to try something against you." Middie Une didn't ask any questions as he grabbed his phone. It should have happened by now. Heero should have had Relena.
As he promised Heero, he dialed up Quatre.
"Hello?"
"Quatre, it's Trowa. This is a warning for Dorothy Catalonia," he said clearly. "Heero is working for Duo's family. He is working for the Phillips, and he is supposed to find Catalonia on Earth."
"What?! Heero's working for the enemy?"
"Yes, and I can't get any word to Heero about anything else because if he spots me, he's supposed to outright kill me," Trowa finished. "Watch Dorothy Catalonia."
"I will. Trowa? You stay safe. Um. Did you . . .?"
"I have Middie Une," Trowa informed him. "We'll find out more truths when we go to Earth. Quarantine ends tomorrow. Quatre? What are you going to do?"
"Quarantines aren't new," Quatre said, "but . . . I've talked it out with Dorothy. We're going back to Earth."
"I had a feeling you were," Trowa said. "I trust you, Quatre. Don't risk getting in Heero's way."
"I won't. You make sure Heero doesn't see you either."
"I will." Trowa hung up and looked at Middie. She sat on the edge of the bed. "Lie down. You need proper rest. You haven't had proper rest in a bed for over a week I assume." She climbed onto the bed.
"What do you want?" Middie Une asked.
"I want you to come to Earth and take a pregnancy test there," Trowa said. "Not all the women who were supposed to be pregnant, had become pregnant. However, the only ones to be negative were those that lived out in the space colonies so far."
"Okay," she answered as she curled up on the bed more, seemingly enjoying the pillow. "Then what?"
Hm. "I want to protect the innocent inside of you, that is related to me. To do that, I will keep you hidden while I stop RTL." Trowa looked back at her, but she had already drifted off to sleep. Middie Une hasn't been in a bed for over a week. I doubt being captive gave her a bed too. Food. Water. She could be lacking on several essentials. Just because he didn't move fast enough. Blaming myself won't do any good now. I just need to get her back to a healthy state, and get her to Earth with me.
Trowa would take her to the circus. Catherine could help her heal back to normal. Although Catherine hated the very idea of Middie Une, her heart would be too kind to turn her away. It's quite possible she might even see what I had seen about her.
Middie Une had always been a good person, she was just trapped in the wars of fate.
