After Colony: Revelation
Verse XII
"Welcome home, Milliardo." Relena stood politely at the entrance of the Sanc Academy. "I'm relieved to see you and Noin are doing well." Both her brother and her former advisor bowed and then hugged her. "However, I cannot say I am happy to see all parties in attendance here." Her words were murmured and meant only for the two other sets of ears and they embraced.
"Don't worry, Isabella has promised to behave," Zechs, or Milliardo, replied. He backed away so that she could address everyone again.
"I'm saddened by the news of the CSO patients. I wish that we would have been able to save at least a few…" Relena sighed and clasped her hands together tightly.
"What happened was something that none of us, noneof us, could have predicted," Heero stepped up and said. "All we can do now is use your influence to get both the Earth and the colonies to take a stand against CSO."
Relena nodded and turned slightly. "Many leaders have already started to convene here in secret, and I've agreed to hold a party for all who have risked attendance. If CSO discovers it, it will be under the guise of my birthday. Please, relax and use everything we've provided for your comfort," said the ruler of the Sanc kingdom, placing her arm out to indicate that they could enter into the Academy—a castle like structure used for numerous lectures and events.
Heero led the way, only leaving Zechs and Noin with Relena. "You'll be horrified when you see the footage Duo was able to secure."
000
"I hate these things," Duo muttered to himself, adjusting the collar of his tux. "I can't believe I have to wear this." He stood in front of a full length mirror, scowling at his reflection.
Quatre walked up behind him and adjusted his own bowtie, smiling. "Well, Miss Isabella will appreciate a good looking, cleaned up escort," the blonde chuckled and nudged Duo.
"She better…"
"Remember," Heero said, pulling on his jacket in one swift motion, as if he were a regular James Bond, "no trouble. We came back empty handed, so we need the support of the nation's leaders who can start cutting off CSO's resources."
"I wouldn't say empty handed," mumbled the braided male, who glared at Heero, "or didn't you see what was on the discs I grabbed? Pretty heavy stuff."
"Why isn't Trowa here?" Heero asked as he completely ignored Duo's grumbling.
"Oh, he's with Zechs. I was supposed to go with him to get a special surprise for Noin. Relena asked me to sit in earlier on a meeting though, so I couldn't go. I'm sure they'll be ready in time for the start of the celebration," chuckled Quatre.
"And Wu-man?"
"He wanted to get ready alone. He's been in meditation for most of the day. I insisted that he wear the formal outfit I had shipped in for him," said Quatre as he went to the door to start to head out.
"He's supposed to be representing the old L5 region. There are political leaders who still hold much respect for the Dragon Clan and may be more supportive if they see him on board," Heero added when saw Duo's confused expression. As he spoke, he checked his gun, and then shoved it under his coat haphazardly.
000
"Edan! Put your dress on!" Isabella pounded on the dressing room door, where her friend/guard had locked herself in. "I can't believe you! You have never been this defiant of me before! Am I going to have to reprogram you to listen to me!?"
"What's going on, Isabella? You're making so much noise!" Noin even left her room to see why the usually lazy blonde girl was causing such a commotion. The women were in the wing of the Academy that Relena resided in—it was the female dorm section. The rooms did not have connecting bathrooms, but instead, there was one large room to share. It had numerous showers, sinks, and stalls, all pristinely clean and fancy. Attached to it was a sitting room with a three paneled mirror that the women had been using to get ready.
And Edan had decided not to come out.
"She won't leave! And I have to do her hair! She's going to make us late!" Isabella stomped her foot and crossed her arms.
"It's insane how similar you and Duo can be," Noin muttered before knocking on the door softly. "Edan, I know you probably feel awkward in a dress since you usually wear a military uniform to these things, but you've got to deal with it. You aren't a CSO soldier anymore, and you're attending as a guest, with a date and all. Please come out."
There was silence, and then the door opened.
A very unhappy brunette walked out from the dressing room, holding her heels in her hand.
"See that? You look great," Noin smiled, "just let Isabella do your hair, and we'll be able to go down to dinner."
Isabella stood with her hands on her hips, tapping her white heels. Her dress was a cocktail dress in light blue, her favorite dress color, with pearls decorating her top half and gathered straps holding it up. She had spent the day with Noin and Edan, shopping around for formal dresses for the banquet and ball. "Maybe I just will reprogram you…"
The eldest of the three women, Noin, wore a black, strapless gown, studded along the top, waist, and bottom. It resembled a Grecian style and flattered her build. Edan's dress was the plainest of them all, being a red halter top with a deep slit on the left side of her skirt. She was dragging a shawl along behind her.
She hadn't even picked it out; Isabella chose the dress. Noin was concerned that the scars on the young woman's back would be off putting to some of the guests, which was why she suggested the cover up.
"Pick that up, you're going to get it dirty!" Isabella snapped at Edan, who just lifted it higher, letting it graze the marble. "I know you're doing this on purpose. Who would believe that a mute could be such a smart ass?"
Noin rolled her eyes and took the fabric, helping to wrap it properly around Edan's shoulders.
By the time they were done (Noin was enjoying the female bonding time quite a bit, since she had never experienced it in the past), Isabella's hair was half up with pearls intertwined, and Edan's was completely flipped to one side, leaving the left side of her neck exposed and covering the slot in her head. "Here," said the former lieutenant as she walked over to the vanity Edan sat at, "we'll add this. Make you look less menacing." She placed a white lily into Edan's hair. "Now, come on you two, let's get going."
The eldest led the way, heading for the Academy's staircase. As much as she felt out of her element, she was extremely happy to be spending time with Zechs. She reached the steps first and walked down with a smirk dancing on her lips. The blonde Peacecraft prince was already at the bottom, waiting to take her to the banquet hall. He was trying his hardest not to look smug.
"I haven't seen you in a dress for… well, it's been years," Zechs said and took her arm like a gentleman.
"Yeah, well, wait until you see what's under the dress," Noin muttered, placing a kiss on his cheek and earning a chuckle in response.
"Great, as if I didn't already want this night to be over," he said as they started to the hall.
"I can't believe that braided fool isn't already here," Isabella groaned from the top of the stairs, "I told him to be here at exactly seven—"
"You were saying?" Duo appeared at her side, his hands in his pockets. "See? I wouldn't leave a pretty girl waiting."
The blonde young lady couldn't help up smile a little. "Yes, well… You're cutting it close though," she said and tried to look angry. Her date took her arm and gently pulled her to the staircase.
"I'm starving, let's go get this thing started so we can chow down."
"Really, all you think of is food…" The two started down the steps together. Looking over her shoulder, Isabella winked at Edan.
The silent woman stayed in the shadows, stuck in a fight with herself. She didn't want to go down. She didn't want to attend as just a woman. But she was unofficially Wufei's date. He had not asked her, but he had insisted that she attend. All she really wanted was to sit alone with Red Horse and watch the security footage that everyone was keeping from her.
But no. She was in a ridiculous dress at a ridiculous party, feeling overall ridiculous.
Edan peeked around the corner, only to quickly turn back. Wufei was at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in a more traditional Chinese outfit for the celebration.
Wufei was lost in his own thoughts, unconcerned with the fact that his 'date' was running late (although he preferred to think of her as his partner; if they could spar together, they could dance together – in the end, it would be beneficial for the two to be able to synchronize their movements because it would carry over to the battlefield). While he was preparing for the evening, the realization had hit him that he had not donned any Chinese formal wear since his wedding, almost seven years earlier. Though there was a hardly a day that went by that he did not think of Meiran and the rest of his clan, it was still a heavy realization.
It only made him wonder why he had allowed Quatre to talk him into it now. He could have easily insisted upon wearing a tuxedo, even though he would have been very uncomfortable, and put the night out of his mind forever.
Placing a hand to his head, he muttered, "This is just ridiculous." Wufei turned to walk away and flee from the evening, when he saw the silent woman descending the staircase to meet him. He swallowed. It was too late for him to back out now.
"You look… nice," he said stiffly and offered out his arm. Awkwardly, she took it. "Do you have any way of communicating?" Edan shook her head, her slightly wavy hair moving back and forth with each movement. "I suppose that simplifies things."
The two walked towards the banquet hall, perfectly in step with one another. However, it was more of a march than an easy stride.
000
After everyone was settled in, Heero walked in to the large room, which had large white marble floors and peaceful, pastel décor, escorting Relena to the head of the table. He pulled out her seat for her and the pink clad princess stood in front of it. "Everyone, I'd like to thank you for coming out to attend my birthday dinner. It pleases me to see that everyone is doing well, given the circumstances. Please, enjoy the food and good company, and I hope I will have a chance to chat with each one of you." With a polite curtsy, Relena sat down, and her date slid the chair in to make her comfortable.
Heero proceeded to make his way down the table to sit across from Quatre and Trowa. As he did, there were numerous whispers. Though his dark blue eyes gazed directly at his chair as he walked, he paid complete attention to every work spoken. Most involved the words Gundamand pilot.
Waiters started entering from a side door, brining trays of food and drink for the guests' consumption.
"Miss Relena," Governor Aucht said quietly. "I have reviewed the footage. If everyone is as appalled as I am by it, there will be instantaneous rejection of CSO. I cannot believe that soldiers would continue to fight for Adelphie if they knew what he had done to their comrades. And to think there could be sleeper cells waiting to act amongst the civilians." He quickly silenced himself when a waiter stepped up to place a plate of strawberry salad in front of him.
When the hired help continued on down the line, much further down, actually, Governor Nocha, a petite woman in her fifties with her husband next to her, quickly leaned forward as well. "If only there had been some survivors. It would have helped rally support if there was a figurehead," she added, and her significant other nodded his balding head.
"I wish we would have been able to save even one," Relena replied solemnly, "but everyone was fatally affected, and CSO destroyed all physical evidence we would have had."
"Not all," commented General Ein. He was a former Romefeller member, who retired after Treize's death. "There's at least one severely modified person left. She's sitting about eight people down from you, Nocha." Ein, with his iron gray hair and stern expression, continued to pick at his salad, moving all of the berries to the side, while Governor Nocha, her husband, Relena, and Aucht all counted down eight seats to see who was sitting there.
"You mean that woman? The one in the red dress?" Mrs. Nocha asked curiously.
"She's Isabella Adelphie's bodyguard," Relena answered. They all looked at her, shocked. "Yes, yes, I know. But everyone has assured me that she is working with the rebels. She even helped rescue my brother. I must at least commend her for that. It is so relieving to see him sitting at the other head seat."
"Well, if you say so," Nocha sighed, "we have complete faith in you, Relena." The older woman smiled slightly, patting the princess's arm.
000
"Excuse me," Relena announced, standing up to get the group's attention, "if everyone has had their fill, the rest of the evening's guests should have arrived by now. So, we can move into the ballroom, if that is all right. Parlor rooms are also open, if you would like to sit and relax."
The banquet was only for the highest ranking members. However, to make it appear to be more like a party, Relena had invited along some of her own friends for the evening ball. Of course, there were many others who would be attending in addition.
Chairs started shuffling, and chatter picked back up. The night had a light-hearted atmosphere. Everything seemed to be going well.
"You know," the Sanc princess said to Heero as he stepped up to her, "this will be the first time we've danced in the proper attire. Before, we were in our school uniforms." She smiled and he shrugged. Apparently, that was enough for her, and they joined the others as they headed into the hallway.
Heero, of course, was still quite tense despite there being no obvious threat. It was not in his nature to relax in a group of people, especially with so many having military backgrounds.
There were people already in the ballroom, all of whom started clapping as the ranking procession entered. Music was cued up from the live band in the corner, and the couples immediately littered the dance floor. Relena and Heero were in the center. Her friends couldn't help but to swoon over the apparent couple.
"So," Duo chuckled slightly, "dancing really isn't my thing…" He rubbed the back of his head and tried to back away from Isabella.
She glared at him and grabbed his arm. "Nice try; you're dancing. I never get to have a date—you can't back out now!"
Though he groaned, he allowed himself to be pulled out to the dance floor. He knew the basics enough to struggle through.
Noin and Zechs didn't hesitate to jump right in. "The last time we danced was at our final military ball as trainees, remember that? We couldn't have been much older than your sister and Heero. Probably younger," the woman said, letting Zechs guide their movements.
"We were probably sixteen or seventeen," he replied, placing his hand on her hip.
"Children, really."
Some tried to stay to the sidelines, like Quatre and Trowa. Dorothy, who had arrived too late for the banquet because of a hold up at the shuttle port, wouldn't have that. "Well, Trowa, you look much better in a tux than a waiter's outfit," she sighed, stepped up to straighten his bowtie. She stood out in her gold and black ball gown, but what was to be expected from the cunning young woman? "Quatre, come dance with me."
He didn't even have a chance to object. He pleaded with his eyes for his friend to save him, but the eldest pilot shook his head with a smile, and went off after a familiar face.
"Lady Une," he called out to a lovely woman, having the bartender pour her a drink. She turned around, slightly surprised.
"Oh, Trowa, how are you?" Though she was smiling, she looked slightly sad. The pilot didn't have to ask to know that she was missing Treize.
"Well enough," he replied, "if you want to hold off on your drink, maybe you'd like to dance?"
The dark haired woman paused, but nodded. "Why thank you, I'd like that," she answered, waving to the bartender to signal that she would be back. The two walked off and took up a spot near the awkwardly laughing Quatre.
It left just Edan and Wufei. They stood against the wall like a nervous couple at prom. "It would be inappropriate for us not to dance," said Wufei seriously, thought he really wasn't committed to the idea. He could be talked out of it.
Not that she'd be doing a whole lot of that.
Looking over at the silent woman, she was intently watching the dancing couples. "You've never danced before, have you?" He commented with a raised brow, but she didn't show any sign of hearing him. Wufei knew that she did. She had an intense expression (in comparison to her usually empty look), with a clenched jaw and slightly narrowed eyes that followed the movements of her targets. He had seen it before—when she intentionally took his blows during sparring matches—and he had long since deciphered what, exactly, it was that her expression meant. She was learning.
Wufei was about ready to walk away and join another crowd, in hopes of uncovering some useful information, when Edan's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. He reflexively pulled away and slid his foot back, falling into an almost defensive stance. She reached out again, slowly, offering her hand and nodding in the direction of the center floor.
He felt a sudden pang of frustration as he looked at the woman. The small twitches of her mouth, the slight crease in her brow… she clearly wanted to communicate something to him, but could not. Wufei had no choice but to take her hand and lead her into the grouping.
"Have you seen the footage, Lady Une?" Trowa asked the former colonel when he and Quatre were finally able to pass Dorothy off on another visitor. They stood in one of the more desolate corners of the grand room, sipping their drinks slowly.
Une nodded and looked away for a moment. She was ashamed to say that part of her, the part that she worked very hard to suppress, had a morbid curiosity when it came to the CSO experiments. "It was like something out of a horror movie. All it would take is one leak, and human rights activists would be up in a frenzy. The actual procedures are sickening enough, but to think that soldiers would put two, starving, mentally unstable people in a locked room together and just watch while they…" she couldn't finish. Shaking her head, she gulped down her drink, as if to wash the images away.
"I know… Adelphie seems to enjoy getting to play God. He named his main projects after the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Surely that cannot bode well for the future of humanity." Quatre sighed and looked down at his soda-filled glass.
The group stood around silently for a few moments, watching the crowd as it moved. Finally, Lady Une spoke again. "You know that some of the diplomats want a demonstration, don't you?"
They could see the ambassador by the name of Aucht speaking with Relena and Heero, his head down low. He was trying to keep his conversation hushed. "Yes, we heard the murmurs over dinner… I can't imagine that Isabella will be willing to do one though. It could be dangerous. Edan is…" Quatre paused and thought over his words, "very hard to control once she's been tapped into."
Heero turned to look at them from across the room and gave one curt nod. Lady Une straightened up immediately and set her now empty glass on one of the wall tables. "It looks like they've made the decision anyhow. Who will be the one to tell the other two ladies?"
"They're going into a parlor room," Trowa said, "so likely, it's us."
The woman left, going after Heero and Relena with the select diplomats. Governor Aucht was there, of course, as was Governor Nocha. There were four others as well – others who were from prestigious countries, with the means to do some damage if they chose to embargo CSO.
"Will the Adelphie girl comply?" Nocha asked, once the doors were closed.
"She will have no choice, I supposed," another woman added, "if she is in the protection of the Sanc Kingdom and its allies, then she will be obligated to do her part. If she resists, well, then it is clear that she is not as dedicated to the resistance as she would like us to believe."
Relena waited until the tense conversation died down and said, "We should know shortly if she will provide us with a demonstration. Those who have been housing her say she has been very compliant, so we hope that if they approach her, she will agree. If you would care for them, we have some refreshments behind the bar. Heero would be glad to serve you, if you would like. I do hope you understand why I do not have a server in here, of course."
Outside of the parlor, Wufei was trying to mask his annoyance with his partner. She immediately took to guiding the two of them into the heart of the dance floor. How dare she, a woman, lead in a dance? It was infuriating.
Edan seemed to be trying to make a point, however, and it wasn't that she was in control. She continuously made sure to be within sight of one particular couple. She would look at Wufei intently, then over to the other pair. It was an average looking man and woman, nothing stood out to Wufei about them. She was pretty and petite, wearing a steel colored cocktail dress, and he was average height and average build. Just… average.
As much as she may have tried to communicate something to him, Wufei simply didn't understand.
"Wufei," Quatre said from behind the awkwardly dancing pair, "would you and Miss Edan please step over here and talk us?" Wufei stopped in the middle of the floor and narrowed his eyes at the other man.
"I have the distinct feeling that I will not like what you want to speak about."
Quatre frowned and shrugged, displaying his guilt. He turned and walked back over to Trowa, who was standing with Isabella while she threw a fit. Edan gave one last, long look at the woman in the steely dress and her partner before she followed after Quatre.
Wufei had started to trail behind, but when he noticed the suspicious party-goers making their way in the opposite direction, he decided to leave Edan with the other two.
"Where is he… oh, I suppose it doesn't matter," Quatre sighed and shook his head. "Edan, some of the governors are insisting on seeing a… demonstration. They said that they had wished someone who had undergone the CSO procedures had survived the facility. Someone mentioned to them that technically, someone did…and…well….they're in the parlor. They want Isabella to connect."
"Which is a terrible idea," the other woman snapped and crossed her arms angrily, "we're under observation from CSO satellites, and tapping into your chips may cause just enough of a spark for them to access you as well. And, on top of all of that, I've already had a few drinks tonight."
"You're underage, you shouldn't be drinking at all," Quatre said in a tone that should have been accompanied by a finger shake.
Isabella scowled, "It isn't as if they were exactly carding here anyhow."
"Does it matter if you've had a drink or two?" Trowa asked, moving the conversation along. It wasn't the time to get caught up on the legality of things, especially when they were contemplating tapping into a human experiment.
"Well…I don't know…My father always said drinking could affect my abilities. I don't know if he meant in the typical sense of inebriation, or…"
Trowa sighed, "So there's absolutely no way you will do it?"
The blonde woman put her hand to her head and groaned, pacing around in a circle for a few moments. Finally she dropped her shoulders in defeat. "It's up to Edan. If she agrees, then I will do it."
The three sets of eyes turned on Edan, who stared back. They stayed locked in a stare down until she finally chose to walk away on her own, in the direction of the parlor room. "I will go get my computer," Isabella muttered and stalked off. Trowa followed after her, just to be sure.
The room fell quiet when Edan walked in, Quatre shutting the door behind her. He nodded to Relena, who momentarily stood taller. "Everyone, it seems that Isabella and Edan have agreed to provide us with a demonstration on how CSO uses their human test subjects. While we wait for Isabella to return with her equipment, allow me to take this moment to have Edan confirm a few things for all of us."
Some of the governors took places on the fancy loveseats and elegantly carved chairs. "Perhaps we should wait for Miss Isabella to return first," Quatre said sternly, feeling the tension in the atmosphere. "Edan has no way to communicate. It would be a rather one sided conversation."
"A simply nod or head shake would be fine. We can stick to closed questions. Edan, am I correct in saying that you are the first successful project of CSO?" Relena asked, stepping forward. Edan supplied a curt nod. "There were many attempts before, and after you?" Again, a nod.
"There are others, yes?" Governor Nocha quickly spoke up, "others who are walking around amongst us? Others who can be activated to follow orders from CSO? That is what the report we received read…"
It took Edan a moment to respond, but she did nod. Quatre suspected that she would have liked to elaborate on such a topic, but that ability simply wasn't there.
"And if CSO were to be able to…connect…with you again, you would be forced to obey them once more?" Relena's words betrayed a certain cautiousness, as if she were afraid Edan would start attacking for her mere suggestion. The former soldier's jaw clenched, and she nodded.
Suddenly Quatre interjected strongly, "But you're confident that Isabella can control you, in the event that something unexpected should happen, right, Edan?" Though perhaps Relena really was trying to be thorough, the pilot felt that the inquisition simply wasn't fair. It almost appeared as if the Sanc leader were trying to intentionally keep the governors on edge.
Edan stared at Relena, and though she showed no change in emotion, there was a sudden spike in the room's atmosphere. She nodded slowly.
"And if not," Heero said, "there's always Wufei."
Isabella entered a few moments later, muttering to herself. When she realized how silent the room was, she plastered a smile on her face. "Well, let's get this over with, shall we?" She moved across the room to the center coffee table and set her computer down. After lowering herself, her legs beneath her, she opened it and started it up. "If you could, please clear this one couch. I will have Edan sit here."
The two women sitting on the couch immediately stood and scrambled to stand behind the other loveseat, whispering to themselves. Edan, who had continued staring at Relena until that moment, moved to the white couch.
Isabella typed away until her programs were up and running. She plugged her headpiece in and adjusted the dangerously sharp optical point before waving to Edan. The other woman hunched over, holding back the left side of her hair so that Isabella could connect Edan into the computer via cord.
The women who had moved behind the couch gasped, looking away when they realized that the cord plugged right into Edan's skull, just like Isabella's headpiece.
"Before I activate Project Red Horse, I must once again state what a horrible idea this is. I have given my warning, stating that we are within range of a CSO satellite, and they may use the opportunity to interfere with my connection. Is everyone sure they still wish for me to go through with this demonstration?"
There were a few nods; overall, no one objected.
"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you," Isabella muttered and resumed her typing. Heero moved forward, slightly blocking Relena, while Quatre took the door, and Trowa moved towards some of the governors. "Project Red Horse: Activate."
Edan immediately sat upright, her spine completely straight as she stared ahead, straight through the ambassadors sitting across from her.
"Well, what would you like me to make her do?" Isabella sighed. "Stand on her head? Dance ballet?"
"What would that prove?" Governor Aucht asked. "She could do all of that with her own free will."
"Fine, how about she chokes herself until she turns blue?" To make her point, she entered in the command and Edan did just that. Her hand shot to her throat without any hesitation and squeezed. Isabella simply allowed Edan to continue, until the other woman started to twitch.
Relena finally took a step forward. "That's enough, you can stop, your point is made."
Isabella gave the stand down, and Edan's hand fell back to her side. She sat upright again, her chest rising and falling unevenly while she tried to regain her breath without breaking herforced composure.
"Since I have manually severed as much of the wireless connection as possible, she cannot do too much without being connected to my system. One of the only things I cannot make her do is speak. CSO did not intend to remove her speech ability; it was a side effect from undergoing the final stage of neuro surgery. If you would like to take this time to examine her, feel free. Until she receives other orders, she will remain stationary." Isabella finished speaking and put her head in the palm of her hand. "Seriously, poke her, prod her, hit her, she won't move. She can't. She will hardly even register the pain."
One by one, the ambassadors moved closer, reaching out to touch the immobile girl. She did not blink or twitch. One of the women took her hand and dug her nails in to pinch, enough to draw blood. Edan did not show any sign that she noticed the pain.
"You could have your way with her, theoretically, though I would deactivate Project Red Horse before I would allow something like that to happen. If you were to want a more in depth demonstration, I would suggest waiting for a chance when we are clear of CSO's satellites so that I can reactivate—" no one looked at Isabella until she stopped speaking.
She was staring straight ahead, her mouth slightly agape.
"Isabella?" Quatre asked and took a step forward, his brows furrowed in concern. She fell forward, hitting her head roughly off of the table, where she remained with her right cheek against the smooth surface.
Edan pulled the connection to the computer from her head as she lurched forward, grabbing the nearest governor, the one who had pinched her, and pinned her against the table.
Heero was the first one into the fight, as the other ambassadors scrambled away. He pulled Edan off of the woman. As he did so, her right hand shot back, balled in a first, to try to get him in the nose. He dodged and grabbed her arm roughly. She brought her left hand down while she twisted and punched him in the stomach. Heero grunted and sucked in, but held on to her tightly. Her heeled foot came down on his calf roughly, one, twice, and then he let go of her arms to grab her leg.
With a slight jump, she brought her other leg, which had a wide range of movement with the deep slit in the dress, to his face.
His nose was broken instantly, and he stumbled backwards.
Heero had never had the pleasure of being in a fight with her. He had certainly not expected the amount of uninhibited strength she showed, or how dirty she was willing to fight when required. He may have fared better, if he wasn't so concerned with keeping her away from Relena, who may or may not have been Edan's next target.
Since Trowa and Quatre were tending to Isabella and the governors, Edan was free to head straight for the parlor doors and throw them open.
Trowa finished helping one of the governors stand and was soon running out the door after Edan. With his running start, he leaped forward to tackle her to the ground. She heard him come out the door, apparently, because she turned around. As they hit the ground roughly, she brought her left elbow and proceeded to bring it down on the side of Trowa's head.
The party goers stopped to stare, confused looks passing through the crowd. Of course, to them, it looked like the young man was attacking the woman. "Leave the lady alone," one of the brave gentlemen from Relena's school days shouted. He hurried over to try to pry Trowa off of Edan, thinking he was being a hero.
"No, you don't understand," the pilot said through gritted teeth, trying to maneuver himself in a position to grapple, "get out of here!"
The gentleman wedged his arms beneath Trowa, using all of his strength to pull at the pilot. There was just enough space for Edan to slide her knees between their bodies and vault him away. Her savior continued to hold Trowa back long enough for her to stand, her shoes now discarded.
Wufei followed after his targets, but had to make a choice between the two when they split. The man seemed like more of an immediate threat, especially since he seemed to be going for the ballroom doors. Maneuvering through the crowd, he did his best to remain in pursuit.
Unfortunately, sneaking around had never been a strong point of his.
Once he entered the hallway, Wufei could see a shadow move against the moonlight in a dark hallway. Wufei made the decision to leave the safety of the lit entryway and take his chances on his own in the side corridors. Treading as silently as he could, he turned the corner to see a gun pointed at his head.
"You shouldn't have followed me," the tuxedoed man stated seriously. "Now I'll have to kill you."
Wufei's eyes narrowed as he hummed in amusement. His hand shot out, smashing his target's arm into the stone wall. The gun clanged to the ground, but did not go off. The pilot twisted the man's arm around and pinned him to the ground, on his stomach. "If you are a CSO spy, you're a poor excuse for one."
The man laughed and cringed in pain at the same time. "Me? I'm not the spy, just the escort."
With a brief pause, Wufei brought his forearm down on the man's head, knocking him out instantly. He stood again, ready to search out the woman in the steel colored dress, but decided to take a moment to find a closet to hide the unconscious body. It one of the staff found him lying in the middle of the empty hall, panic would surely spread. Just as an added precaution, Wufei separated the gun from its clip and disposed of them in two plants on his way back to the ballroom.
Just as he was ready to start searching the balcony area, he heard a sudden silence fall behind him. Though he wanted to continue his search, Wufei decided instead to see whatever had disrupted the party.
Once he finally managed to squeeze to the front of the crowd, he watched as Trowa was thrown off of the woman, hitting the floor a few feet away. Beyond the pilot, Heero was being fussed over by Relena as blood poured down his face and on to his white tuxedo shirt.
"Wufei, she's been activated!" Trowa shouted, struggling with a blonde party goer (and injured ribs, it seemed) to stand up again.
Edan made a grab for the nearest governor, a middle aged man of Hispanic descent.
"Stand down," Wufei demanded, pulling the ambassador away before she could get a hold of him. "Control yourself, Edan, stop this madness." Wufei put himself in front of the group, drawing her aggression. He could see it, her struggle, flicker across her eyes for only a moment before she stalked towards him. It was almost like their exhibition match, except that neither had weapons and she was wearing a dress.
He was certainly glad he wore his traditional Chinese robes over the tuxedo, though he couldn't possibly tell that to Quatre. He was slightly weighed down by the layers but he would take that over the constricting suit jackets.
She spun around, but he caught her with an open palm, bracing himself against her momentum. Immediately, she rebounded and swung her bare leg up. Wufei grabbed her calf and tried to force her down. Edan threw her hands down to the floor, her angle giving her enough leverage to use to pull away from him and into a backbend.
Some guests clapped, as if they thought they display was for their entertainment. Others wisely started to disperse and remove any sharp objects from the vicinity.
Edan swept her leg down to knock his from under him, but Wufei jumped to the side and aimed a kick at her head. Though she managed to avoid it, she couldn't move fast enough to avoid him bring his heel down a mere inch from the side of her waist. She tried to put her hands behind her back and push herself away, though it was no use. He had the skirt of her dress nailed down.
"Fighting in a dress, I mean really…" Wufei muttered and grabbed her arms. Edan continued to struggle, almost breaking free, but Trowa managed to get away from the other man and help restrain her. Though Trowa did not know what Wufei had planned to stop her from fighting, he put his weight on her legs anyhow.
Wufei used his knees to keep her arms pinned down before he used his right forearm to start cutting off Edan's air supply. She jerked and coughed and choked, but he did not stop. He didn't know if a blow to the head would be enough to stop her, and he did not feel he could risk an attempt. Though trying to suffocate her was enough exactly part of his warrior way, he had to protect everyone else around him.
She stopped struggling, and he removed his weight from her body. "She's unconscious. If I understand correctly, she should be free from CSO's control when she awakens. She is trembling, like the night Duo and the Adelphie girl fell into the pool."
With one last look at the shaking woman, Wufei turned and headed back towards the balcony. He had to follow his lead.
Trowa exhaled deeply before scooping up the woman, delicately making sure that she was fully covered as he did so. The slit in her dress seemed to deepen at some point in the fight, and he felt the numerous eyes watching him awkwardly.
When he entered into the room again, he shifted Edan onto the couch she had previously sitting on. Once he was sure she wouldn't fall off, he turned to look at Quatre, then Heero.
"You shouldn't have brought them here," Relena said and frowned, using her handkerchief to try to stop the bleeding from the pilot's nose. "We need to get you to one of the powder rooms and clean you up. We can get a medic to look at that…"
Heero brushed her away, head back and fabric to his face, "I will be fine. I can take care of myself. And it was you who asked for a demonstration, you and the governors. Isabella told you it was a bad idea. You can't blame her. She probably didn't knock herself out on purpose. Go handle damage control."
He stalked away, his voice just barely hinting at his annoyance. Though whether he was annoyed with Edan or Relena, who could tell? He tried his best to avoid the guests, since some of them who spied him turned away with queasy expressions.
Relena and Quatre left Trowa shut in the room with the two unconscious women while they went to calm the crowds. "I assure you, everything is fine," the Sanc ruler announced clearly, "a bit of a fight broke out, and before we could break it up—"
"It that woman a spy?" From somewhere amidst the crowd, a male voice shouted out. "It took two men to contain that woman!"
"No, no," Quatre spoke up quickly, unsure of how Relena would respond due to her dislike for Isabella and Edan, "not a spy, but she is a well trained soldier and she is on our side. She believed that there was danger, but I can assure you, there is none."
As if on cue, there was a loud explosion from outside and a power outage inside. The guests screamed and started running about—most to the balcony to see what had caused the sudden burst.
Trowa exited the room, shutting the doors behind him, and immediately found Quatre (which was quite the feat in the dark room). "There are backup generators, aren't there?" The blonde young man looked for Relena, but he could not find her: she was already intermixed with the panicked crowd.
"Quatre, Trowa!" Noin called out from their right sides. They were running through the ballroom doors with flashlights. The men quickly rushed to join them. "Zechs was in the control room. He went to check on Rashid a little while ago before calling us in. He's looking into a security breech on the other side of the palace. CSO—they've got us surrounded. They've cut the power and the backup generators. They had someone on the inside."
"We have to start evacuating people. Either CSO shot at us and missed, or that was a warning shot. We cannot wait to find out." Quatre took one of the flashlights from Noin, recognizing that it was one of the emergency lights that were in most of the closets and plugged into sockets in some of the side rooms, and dived straight into the crowed to direct them to the planned emergency exit.
"It's a good thing that Heero thought to reroute the lift's power supply to the hangar generators when we were rebuilding," Noin shouted to Une and Trowa as they worked to shut the ballroom doors. They knew that the staff could get to the emergency exits on their own, but they would have to herd the guests in the correct direction. "We would surely be stuck trying to get everyone down below through the stairs."
Trowa looked over his shoulder to the dark masses heading through a set of staff doors by Quatre's orders before turning to the two women again. "I'm going to get Isabella and Edan. They're in the parlor room, unconscious. CSO's doing, I'm sure. I will try to carry both, though I'm not sure if I can manage—" there was another explosion. This time, it shattered the windows that led to the balcony.
He didn't bother finishing his sentence, and instead ran straight for the parlor room door.
When he entered, he was surprised to find that only one woman was in the room. Isabella was lying in the same position, but Edan was nowhere to be found. "Damn," Trowa muttered and leaned down. He moved the blonde woman around just slightly so that he could scoop her up and place her laptop between himself and her. He would have to be careful, but he thought it was better than leaving it behind for anyone else to find.
The room was emptying out quickly, now that there was broken glass all over half of the room. As Trowa hurried over to join the exodus, he realized that he hadn't seen Duo since they had originally pulled Isabella aside.
000
Author's Notes: Thank you to my wonderful reviewers! I am sorry I could not update sooner. I was busy with the convention I volunteer for. It was a blast and a success. I have a few more things to work on, but I hope to continue posting regularly.
Pat and Shiny Wurmple—thank you as always for your reviews! I am glad you don't seem to mind the almost/sort of/in some ways budding romance. I am always worried it will be too much.
Here's about where the action picks up. From here on out, there is a lot more action and plot, and quite a bit will change. I hope you will all enjoy!
Good night, readers, good night.
A.F