Hmm, second chapter already. These are fun to write, and I can sit down and hammer one out in like an hour and a half, (those of you reading Occam's Razor, don't worry, I'm still plugging away at that too). Anyway, depending on how devious I'm feeling I may continue to torture these guys for a long time to come . . .

Mutually Assured Destruction

Chapter Two – Retaliatory Strike

Tynan

Francheska Biddle was doing everything in her power not to stare. However, given her boss's current, well state, that was not such an easy task.

It was Monday morning; Monday morning meant that Relena met with Francheska, her personal aide at the café down the street from the capital building. As with every other Monday morning previous, Francheska made sure to be at least fifteen minutes early; she took their usual seat by the window, ordered their usual three cups of coffee, a toasted everything bagel, and a blue berry muffin, and as usual they were brought to the table just as her boss, and mentor entered the café with Preventers Officer First-Class Jackie Murphy in tow . . . only this time Relena was no where to be found as their breakfast turned up.

Francheska had waited patiently as their coffee began to get cold; just as she was beginning to worry the door to the café burst open and a confusing looking Jackie Murphy was half pushed, half walked into the building; crouched behind her was a frazzled, and frightened Relena Peacecraft. She peered over Jackie's shoulder, spotted Francheska, and quickly made her way over to the table, leaving her security officer to follow after her.

Ten minutes later Francheska sat opposite her boss, who seemed distracted to say the least. Jackie stood behind them, also casting a curious expression in Relena's direction but the petite blonde woman did not seem to notice. She did however notice every single movement made within a ten foot radius of her person.

"Ma'am?"

"Huh?" Relena answered thickly at the sound of Francheska's voice.

"The proposal, Miss Peacecraft, you asked me to have it ready to go over this morning." She removed the thick manila envelope from her briefcase and handed it to Relena.

Francheska could not help the expression of confusion and concern on her face as she watched the ESUN Foreign Minister take the folder from her with two fingers, then hold it at arms length, opening it as though she thought it might explode. After determining that the contents of the envelope was not in fact harmful, Relena extracted the pile of papers and began skimming them, though Francheska got the distinct impression that she was not comprehending anything on the pages in front of her.

"Miss Peacecraft?"

Relena's head shot up; she looked around frantically before turning to Francheska, "What's wrong? Did you see something?!"

Francheska tried not to look surprised, "N-no ma'am, I was just . . . do you feel alright ma'am?"

Relena looked at her as though she could not possible understand why her assistant might think she was not well.

"Maybe, you'd like to continue this in your office ma'am?" Francheska asked in as imploring a manner as she could, fortunately Relena did not require much convincing.

"Yes, yes I think that would be a good idea!" She began putting the files in front of her in her own briefcase and began mumbling to herself, "It's much to crowded in here, too hard to concentrate and pay attention at the same time . . ."

Without a word she stood up and went straight for the door before Jackie even had a chance to step away from her post near the window and set her own coffee cup back on the table. She cast Francheska a confused look as the two women followed the Foreign Minister out the door. "Is she okay?"

Francheska shrugged, "I was going to ask you the same thing . . . has she been like this all morning?"

"When I picked her up she spent ten minutes checking the back seat of the car before she would get in it, for what I have no idea. Then on the drive over here she kept asking if I had seen or heard from Agent Yuy. I tried to tell her that I hadn't seen him since Friday evening, but she didn't seem to believe me . . . she kept mumbling that just because I didn't see him, doesn't mean that he wasn't there." Jackie checked her watch as they approached the car and began digging her keys out of her jacket pocket, but stopped dead.

Relena was standing in front of the open back door poking the seats with a stick she had apparently picked up off the ground.

- - - - -

The drive to the office was tense but uneventful; despite Francheska's good-natured prodding Relena refused to divulge any reason for her sudden paranoia. She hardly waited for Jackie to stop the car before leaping out and bolting into the Capital Building, through the Main Chamber, up four flights of stairs, down two halls and into her office, practically slamming the door in Francheska's face who had been making the best attempt she could to keep up with her boss.

Once inside Relena, cautiously scanned the reception area, drawing a stare from her Personal Secretary, Edith Bolling.

"Good morning, Foreign Minister, how –"

"You received my message Edith?!" Relena practically screamed, cutting the older woman off.

"Y-yes, Miss Peacecraft." she answered, clearly startled. "I made sure that – "

"Excellent, thank you Edith!" With a flip of her hair and a nervous smile, Relena set off for her office, Francheska again jogging to keep up with her.

Following her boss into her private office, she shut the door behind her as Relena took a seat behind her desk, looking somewhat relieved.

"Excellent, excellent," she murmured to apparently no one, "Well then, Francheska, let's go over this proposal again, I apologize for earlier, I was somewhat distracted, however – " Relena's voice stopped short as she pulled open one of the drawers in her desk . . . well tried to anyway.

The Foreign Minister's face immediately contorted into something resembling a mix of confusion and anger as she yanked at the drawer again, much harder this time. When it would not give she tried the one below it, then the one below that, the three on the other side, and finally the thin one above her legs. None of the drawers would budge the tiniest bit.

Francheska could have sworn she saw steam coming out of her mentor's ears, "Umm, Miss Peacecraft, ma'am is everything – "

Without warning, Relena practically jumped out of her seat, standing straight up behind her desk, threw her head back and let out something between a growl and a scream. "That jerk! How the hell did he . . . ?!"

She flung her arms onto the desk and lunged to the far right corner for the phone, meaning to lift the receiver, but to her shock it would not budge, nor would the entire communication unit move from its perch at the far corner of her desk.

Letting out a long breath and maintaining her clam, Relena stood up perfectly straight again and smoothed out her business suit. Relieved to see that the woman had calmed down, Francheska nearly jumped out of her skin when Relena suddenly bellowed: "Edith!!!"

A few scurrying and bumping noises later the secretary in question had appeared in Relena's door, not even getting a chance to ask why she was called from her post before the Foreign Minister practically accosted her.

"Edith, you said you got my message!"

She looked confused, "Yes Miss Peacecraft, and I followed your instructions, no visitors were allowed in your office when you were not here."

Relena gestured wildly to the desk in front of her, "Well someone was in here!!!"

Edith just nodded to her, "Well yes, ma'am, Agent Yuy stopped by this morning, said he needed to drop something off for you."

Relena's eyes grew to the size of saucers, she sounded almost deranged, "And you let him in?!?!"

"And made him coffee." Her secretary was smiling now in a slightly twisted sort of way, "May I ask what this is all about ma'am?"

But Relena was in no mood, "Edith, I said no visitors!"

She was still smiling, "And Agent Yuy is head of your security detail ma'am, he wasn't here to see you, just to drop something off."

Relena put her hand on her face and collapsed into her chair, "Edith, would you please go through my phonebook and put in a call to Hilde Schbeiker . . . tell her we have work to do."

The older woman smiled at her once more, answered "Of course, ma'am." and disappeared out the door.

Relena let her head fall into her hands, "Francheska, would you please find someone from maintenance and tell them I'm going to need someone with a saw in my office."

Francheska nodded dumbly but paused before walking out of the room, "Ma'am . . . you have a message."

Relena looked up, the expression on her face nothing short of perplexed, "What?"

"On your phone ma'am, you have a message." Sure enough, a small red light was blinking at the top of the unit, she turned back to Francheska, "I can't pick up the receiver to hear it, whatever it is."

"You could still use the speak phone ma'am." Before being asked, Francheska leaned over Relena's desk and tapped several keys.

"You have ONE new message," the soothing, female electronic voice rang out, "First new message:"

Heero's cool, even voice emanated from the speaker, "Told you."

(more to come . . .)