Chapter 5: White Rabbit

Your magic white rabbit

Has left its writing on the wall

We follow like Alice

And just keep diving down the hole

-White Rabbit by Egypt Central

The news of the president's death spread quickly throughout the Earth and Colonies. Every major and minor news outlet reported twenty-four hours about the attacks and the death toll. Many members of the ESUN government were killed in the attacks. Preventer Standard Procedure had been activated and the current President of the ESUN was on her way back to Brussels on a potentially dangerous flight.

And Marina was still stuck in the shelter built below her family home. She and the others had run out of card games to play, and Marina was far too excited to sleep. But they were stuck down there until such time as it was deemed safe enough to return to normal life.

If there ever would be a normal life now.

Marina had heard enough from the news and the conversations between the adults that small mobile suits had initiated the attack, and as of yet, they did not know was behind the attacks. Marina hadn't seen her father in over twenty-four hours; he was busy at the Preventer headquarters working on the problem with the others.

Her mother, on the other hand, was making phone call after phone call. Marina didn't know the subject of the phone calls, but her mother maintained a calm demeanor as much as possible, though Marina could see in her face that she was exhausted.

Milou and Naina made themselves useful, bringing around food and water for those in the shelter, giving a break to the household staff, who were not allowed to leave and see their families yet. Marina wondered if they were annoyed that her mother was keeping them all there.

Marina was about to doze off on one of the couches when a commotion at the door attracted her attention. The inner and outer doors of the shelter opened and several people walked inside, including her father and her uncle. Her mother jumped up and ran to her father, who looked disheveled and tired. Marina perked up, hoping to hear more information.

Marina rose from the couch and crossed the room to where her parents conferred with each other in low voices. As she approached, Heero reached his arm out, and Marina nestled into his embrace. His arm circled her shoulders and pulled her to his side.

"What's going on?" she asked, attempting to keep her voice as innocent as possible. Her father released a sigh. "Is Aunty Lu okay?"

"She'll be alright," Zechs answered.

"We're in a bad situation," her father said, glancing down at her.

"They're saying that the building was attacked by mobile suits," Marina blurted out. She saw her mother cringe, and her father tensed. Even Uncle Zechs looked unhappy.

"It is certainly giving me flashbacks," her mother mumbled. Zechs reached out and wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders.

"Don't worry. We'll get this taken care of," he said, confident as always.

"I hope so."

Heero gave Marina a squeeze, then released her. "I have to go," he said, nodding to Zechs. "We have to meet the President at the airport and escort her to the manor."

"You can't leave again!" Marina whined. Heero gave her cheek a pat.

"I'll be back before you know it," he said. Turning to Relena, he kissed her, and Marina looked away. With Zechs at his side, Heero left the shelter, the doors closing behind him. Her mother's face paled, and even after a few hours since the attacks began, Marina could see that the fine lines on her mother's face deepened, the dark circles under her eyes darkened. Marina stared at her mother a moment longer, but she was already on the phone again. Marina turned away and sat back down with her friends and cousins, to continue waiting.

The black Preventer car pulled up to the curb in front of the Brussels Presidential Manor. Commander Une pushed open the back door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. The stairwell leading up to the doors was flanked by Preventer security. Une knew there were just as many hidden agents as there were visible agents. She nodded to the Preventers and ascended the steps to the front door. The biometric scanner beside the door gleamed. Une stood in front of the panel and pulled open her eyelids for a retinal scan, then placed her hand on the scanner. Her profile appeared on the screen, confirming her clearance for entrance into the manor.

The doors opened and Une stepped through.

The foyer was eerily quiet. Getting inside was the difficult part, but once inside, there were few Preventer agents walking around. The rest of the building was monitored by high-tech cameras from a secret location within the manor. Une glanced up at the nearest camera and gave it a curt nod.

Une strode forward and stepped into a waiting elevator, taking it down two levels to the President's office. The elevator slid to a halt two floors below ground. Une stepped out of the elevator and took a left towards the office. There was more activity on this floor, mainly consisting of aids and assistants to the President and her cabinet. Young men and women scurried from room to room carrying papers, tablets, and other supplies, chatting with each other in brief snippets as they passed in the hall.

Une passed through the activity until she reached the end of the hallway. A desk stood outside the door. A kind smile spread over Une's face.

"Mother!"

Mariemaia jumped from her chair and circled the desk. She threw her arms around Une's neck and pulled her adoptive mother into a fierce hug. Une returned the hug and kissed her daughter on the cheek.

"I'm glad to see you made it back in one piece," Une said, squeezing her daughter tightly. "I was worried."

Mariemaia released her hold on Une and stepped backward. "We were worried about traveling as well. Thankfully, we made it back without incident. It seems that the insurgents have backed off briefly," Mariemaia said. Une smiled, knowing there was more to the story, and didn't begrudge her daughter for not knowing the intricacies of transporting the President from one country to another.

"Is Dorothy there?" Une asked, gesturing towards the door.

Mariemaia nodded and stepped aside, allowing Une to pass. She walked to the door and pressed her hand against the biometric scanner, allowing the door to open. Une entered the office, followed by Mariemaia.

Recently promoted President Dorothy Catalonia sat behind the large, mahogany desk in the center of the office. She speaking quickly into the phone pressed to her ear. She glanced up when Une and Mariemaia entered, and gestured towards the chairs on the opposite side of the desk. The two women took seats and waited while Dorothy finished her conversation. After a few minutes, Dorothy hung up the phone and looked up.

"Commander Une," she said by way of greeting. "You've arrived just when I expected you to."

Une glanced sideways at Mariemaia, and made a snap decision that she could trust her daughter with a heavy secret. After all, they were on the edge of a war.

"I think it's time to enact Operation White Rabbit," Une said, pressing the tips of her fingers together. Dorothy inhaled sharply through her nose and leaned back in her chair.

"What's that?" Mariemaia asked, looking between Une and Dorothy. "Mother?"

Dorothy sighed and turned towards her computer. She tapped a few keys until a document appeared on her screen. She angled her monitor so the three of them could see it. Mariemaia gasped.

The document on the screen showed the model and specs of a mobile suit. It was much smaller than the mobile suits of the previous wars, only slightly larger than an average human being. But it had a sleek, powerful looking design. Une pressed her lips together before speaking.

"We already know what power our enemies have," Une said. "We can't allow them to crush us without retaliation." Dorothy sighed and closed the document on the screen.

"Who else knows about this secret operation?" Mariemaia asked. Une and Dorothy exchanged a glance.

"The two of us, and now you," Dorothy said. "And a handful of Preventer engineers who have been sworn to secrecy." Dorothy rose from her chair and pressed her hands down the desktop. Une could tell that the woman was struggling with the decision to begin the operation, but it was really their only choice. They had to defend their democracy that they fought so hard for over twenty years ago.

"Okay. Commander Une, deploy Operation White Rabbit." Dorothy said. Une nodded and rose from the chair. She reached across the desk and shook Dorothy's hand. The two women locked eyes for a moment, both feeling the nerves and questions about the extreme measures they were about to take. But the decision was made.

Dorothy had one more item to take care of before she could turn in for the night. For good measure, she sent Mariemaia home with Une. She knew her aid would be safe with the head of the Preventer organization. Dorothy turned to her vid-phone and dialed a number.

She waited, until finally, Relena Yuy's face appeared on the screen.

"Dorothy," Relena said.

"Hello, darling."

"I can't say I didn't expect this call," Relena said. "And the answer is no."

"Why, I haven't asked you a thing," Dorothy said, feigning innocence.

"You're going to ask me to stop into the role of Vice President," Relena said. "The answer is no. After all, that's a democratically elected position. You can't just appoint someone to-"

"I know, dear. I know. I helped write our constitution, just as you did. But…" Relena raised an eyebrow. "I could appoint you to your old position." Relena looked taken aback.

"What? As Foreign Minister? Why?"

"I'm going to need you in the coming weeks," Dorothy said.

"Dorothy, you know I'm always willing to help, but… to rejoin the workforce? I feel I've been out of it for so long…"

"Five years is not a long time, compared to the length of our lives," Dorothy said. "I'm going to need you to do what you do best."

Relena appeared contemplative for a while, until she finally nodded.

"Alright, I'll do it."

"Thank you," Dorothy said. They said goodbye, and Dorothy closed the call on her end. She leaned back in her chair, tapping the tips of her fingers together. Tomorrow, the unveiling of Operation White Rabbit would take effect, and after that, Relena would turn against Dorothy. And that's just what Dorothy wanted. Relena always had the ability to rally people to do the right thing, even if it was against Relena's own ideals.

With a heavy sigh, Dorothy rose from her chair and grabbed her purse and workbag. Her friendship with Relena was going to be tested, and Dorothy hoped when this was all over, they could still call themselves friends.

-SE