15-Aug-2001
Quatre was in a hurry to leave the Sands because he wanted to get back to the space dock where the GMG was waiting with Sandrock. He wanted to be there when the others arrived.
No, if he was truthful with himself, he wanted to be there when--if--Trowa arrived. He wanted to see the other boy when the pilot brought his gundam. He wanted to see Trowa again.
He was too late, however.
Heavyarms was already loaded and secured on the GMG by the time the blond young man made it back to space.
Quatre was tempted to blame someone, anyone, but knew it would be pointless. The knowledge his trip to the Sands had gained him was invaluable. And he would see Trowa again. He *knew* it. He could *feel* it.
There was something else he could feel, too. The space around him, it hummed with urgency. Expectancy. Something big was about to happen, though Quatre didn't know what. He foolishly chalked it off to the upcoming celebrations that had already started around the Earth and colonies. It was the day before Christmas, after all. And soon, they would be saying farewell to the gundams...
His beloved Sandrock.
Quatre was grateful that Duo was there with him when the GMG disembarked on its voyage to the sun. He was grateful that he wasn't alone. The journey to the sun would take almost two weeks. To reach Venus alone it would take the GMG 6 days. He was a bit heartsick watching the huge cargo ship float away, but he was reassured in the knowledge that the other has obviously agreed with his decision to send the gundams away.
All except Wufei, that is.
Quatre was worried about his Chinese friend. Wufei had left all his messages unanswered. Even his *presence* was shut off from Quatre. The blond boy was seriously concerned by the fact that he couldn't reach Wufei at all. But he didn't know what he could do.
He invited Duo back to his home for Christmas Eve dinner, but the braided pilot had laughed and waved him off, saying he'd special plans of his own and he'd have to take a rain check. Quatre let him go, regretful that their time together was so short. But they at least agreed to get together sometime in the New Year.
Still...
The blond young man was restless. He couldn't sleep. Tomorrow was Christmas; tonight the anniversary of the Eve Wars. He paced his home, his mind lost in jumbled thoughts. Something was happening... something... but he didn't know what. It was infuriating.
It was that sense of... *wrongness*, that had him on the phone, calling up the resources that would help him get the gundams back and *fast* the minute a little redhead child's face filled the media-screens with her intentions to rule the world.
Trowa had looked toward dropping his gundam off at the L4 spaceport the GMG was docked at with mixed emotions. On the one had, he dreaded the possibility of meeting Quatre there, face to face. The first time in nearly a year. On the other... he was praying for the opportunity to see the beautiful blond boy again. Anticipating it with a fever.
That's why he left a whole day earlier than the prearranged time. He was both relieved and saddened when the blond boy was not there. He debated staying until the next day, but quickly rejected the idea. He had to return to Catherine and the circus. Still...
He was only too happy to be rid of the large, red gundam. To give up the responsibility, the fighting. He was finally ready. This last year of peace had taught him that he didn't need a battlefield to exist, like he'd previously thought. Even though he was raised in the fires of battles, he could exist without fighting, or, at least without fighting with bullets and guns.
Life itself was a battlefield, he thought whimsically. And Trowa thought he might come to like it.
He was a little torn up about not getting to see Quatre, sure, but he was very happy to be relieved of the burden the gundam had placed on him. He was finally free...
Or, so he'd thought before he'd knocked those four goons out and realized the Barton Foundation hadn't given up yet.
Then, suddenly, he was longing for his gundam again--for the security it presented. But his suit was out of reach now; on it's way to the sun. He was on his own. Again.
'If you can't beat them outright, join them,' he thought, pocketing the identification card. 'Or make them think you're joining them...'
He's jet was due back at 2300 hours.
Duo had their apartment decked out and ready by 9:30, was showered and dressed by 10, and at the airdocks, waiting and ready a half hour before ~Shinigami's Lover~ touched down.
Duo didn't even wait for the engines to finish firing down before he was climbing on board. As expected, Heero was still in the cockpit, working as usual.
"I'm surprised to see people working on Christmas Eve," the braided boy teased, leaning in the doorway. "Trowa has a niece? I didn't know that." He moved up behind his lover to look over at the screen that held Heero so captivated.
"It's only on record," Heero answered. "The Trowa we know is not the real Trowa Barton."
"Huh?" If Trowa wasn't Trowa, then who was he, Duo wondered. But before he could ask, Heero was grabbing his jacket and leaving. "Hey! Where are you going?" Duo called after him.
"Relena's been kidnapped," was all the other boy told him.
Duo groaned. 'No, no, no, NO! She *didn't* do this purposefully. She didn't just ruin all his plans for Christmas. No. He knew is lover. He knew Heero wouldn't be in any mood to 'celebrate' when a 'mission' was on. Duo sighed. "Anything for the one you love," he mumbled, before realizing Heero was already gone. "Hey! Heero! Wait up! I'm coming too!"
The Japanese pilot was already at the hatch when he turned back to Duo's shout. "Are you sure?"
Duo grinning at him. "Hey, Christmas is *mine* remember?" At the other boy's look he shrugged. "It's our first Christmas together. So... are we going to get to blow things up?"
Heero stared at him, and then smiled. "I think so."
Duo leaned over and planted a kiss on Heero's mouth. "Sounds like it's going to be a good Christmas after all." The braided boy winked and then went off in search of one of the other shuttles that would suit their purposes.
He was walking the street, taking in the miracle of it all. Al the people, so happy and excited. He walked, like a ghost amongst them. Seeing but not a part of it all. He wasn't sure what he was doing. He'd been to the apartment number Geraldine had given him, but Noin wasn't there. He'd thought about visiting Lady Une then, but she wasn't at her apartment, either. The only other address he had was for one of the old OZ administrating buildings. Apparently, it was the new Preventers' Headquarters.
He was already on his way there when the broadcast lit up all the media screens.
"My name is Mariemeia Khushrenada. My father is Treize Khushrenada."
Zechs was running. The building was mostly deserted. No one tried to stop him. He had the elevator ride up to the top floor to calm his breathing.
"Who is it?" the Lady barked out.
"Excuse me," he replied. "May I give my code name, also?"
He saw the surprise on her face.
"You may call me "wind"--which will put out the fire," he told her.
She smiled, he smiled. "Zechs..." She came around her desk and reach out for him. "Thank the spirits."
He was surprised when she embraced him, but he accepted it. "Lady... I must ask you..."
She pulled away. "Anything," she answered, reposing herself.
"Tallgeese."
"Of course," she said, reaching for her identi-card on her desk. "Follow me."
"I'm very sorry for asking you to come with me, Rashid."
"Don't be sorry, Master Quatre."
"It's my fault. If I hadn't suggested sending the gundams into the sun, this would not have happened."
"Nobody could have predicted this," Rashid assured the blond young man. "Now we have to think about this situation."
"Yes, you're right," Quatre replied, but in his heart, he knew that the others *had* predicted this... but they'd still allowed for their gundams to be sent away. Why?
It was his idea to send the gundams into the sun. That's why he had to get them back. He hated the idea of leaving the main work up to the others, but he knew they were going to need the gundams back--and he trusted Heero and Duo and Trowa and Wufei to stop the colony drop.
By the time they made it onto the colony and regrouped, it was midmorning, Christmas Day. Heero was strangely distant from him, but then, Duo had to remind himself it had been a while since they were on a mission such as this together.
But still... something seemed to be really bothering his Japanese lover. At first, Duo thought it was all about Relena's safety--but the girl was taken off colony and they didn't go after her. When he found out about the plans to follow through with the original Operation Meteor, he decided that must be it and raced with his partner to go throw a monkey wrench in the Barton Foundation's plans. They fought their way into the colony's control room.
"You're late."
Duo was surprised to see Trowa sitting there, but Heero wasn't. "Well, well. I guess you have the same purpose, huh?" the braided boy grinned.
"Help me out. The system is locked and it takes time to get back the colony's balance control."
"Alright, alright," Duo answered, heading over to one of the consoles.
"We'd better hurry. It seems that the main force has already started the operation." Heero was in perfect-soldier-mode still. It sort of unnerved Duo a bit, how cold and unemotional his very emotional lover could get.
"The last lock can't be canceled," Duo called out. He knew the importance of regaining the balance controls, despite any of his joking. "The circuit has to be lined directly!"
Trowa was already on it. "I was too late," the boy said to no one. "I have an important friend here on this colony. When I noticed that Dekim's purpose is the real Operation Meteor, I could only think of this way. But it took so much time to get this far..."
"How 'bout Wufei?" Duo couldn't help but ask. "Did he also join Mariemeia's soldiers to help stop this?"
"He doesn't do things in such a roundabout way," Heero answered, his voice sounding hard even to Trowa.
Quatre was already flying the GMG back towards Earth at top speed when he received the message from Duo. He was relieved to know that they had succeeded in stopping the colony drop--he knew he could count on them. Now it was his turn to pull through for them. He tried to coax more speed out of the GMG, but it was already going as fast as the old cargo ship would go.
There was little she could do in space, she knew. So she took off for Earth just as soon as Duo contacted them and let them know the colony was safe. Sally continued on to x18999, but Noin needed to get back to Earth. Anne had already contacted them--Zechs was in Tallgeese, fighting off enemy mobile suits. Noin needed to be with him.
He was awake... he was alive and walking, and *fighting*. He was going to be okay. But she needed to be with him.
She felt like kicking herself. Once again, Heero had been right. She'd walked right into trap. Relena sighed, leaning back into the uncomfortable flight seat. Was she really so foolish to believe in peace? Once again, somebody had to rise up and object to her proposals for Peace. At least this time it wasn't her own brother...
She looked over at the child sitting next to her. Treize Khushrenada's daughter. Could it be possible? The man had held some very well kept secrets it seemed. She wondered what else the former-general had been privy too.
She wanted to be angry with the girl, but knew she couldn't be. Mariemeia was just a child. Just a pawn in this uprising. Relena could just *hear* Dorothy now...
First the blonde would scold Relena, reprimanding her for not coming straight to Sank as was planned. Then, she would lay into the child, scolding her for being used as such a pawn--"a disgrace to the Khushrenada name," she was say. And *then* she would turn back on Relena and yell at her for being so foolish and for putting herself in this position in the first place.
Relena wished she *had* listened to Heero and Dorothy and had kept to her original schedule. She would have been in Sank right now, with her brother and mother and Dorothy... celebrating Christmas instead of worrying if the government would still be standing tomorrow morning.
Une watched with her small band of Preventers as the mobile suits came falling to earth with the snow. MOIII was destroyed. L3x18999 was safe. But Earth wasn't safe yet.
A child... When? How? Whom?
'Treize,' she thought, pushing her hair away from her face as the biting wind tossed it around. 'You never told me you had a daughter... Why? Did Zechs know? He seemed so calm... but, then, he's a true soldier, like you. A child... I wonder... what other secrets have you kept from me, Treize...?'
"Lady Une! It's as you said, ma'am!" Preventer Braddocks shouted over the wind to her. "They're setting up formation around the estate!"
"They will most likely be taking Vice Minister Darlian there!" she replied. "We need to find a way in and fast! If the defense system goes on line it will be next to impossible to get in!"
"Understood!"
They'd have to get past all those mobile suits, and then Mariemeia's soldiers... With any luck, Zechs would be returning soon with the Tallgeese. She wished she could send some of the others out in mobile suits, too, but the only had a limited number and not enough resources to go around, and she had a feeling that Noin would want one the minute she got back...
It took sixteen hours. From the time they'd started, until the time Quatre could get back with the gundams. He'd already sent Wing ZERO on its way to rendezvous with Heero; they'd meet up again back on Earth. It was an hour's difference from when Heero would get ZERO to when Quatre would meet up with Trowa and Duo.
Seeing Trowa again... but now wasn't the time. They still had to stop the Barton Foundation.
"I have wanted to fight you for a long time," he told the other pilot.
"What are you doing, Wufei?" Heero had asked him.
"Are you guys right?" he returned.
"What"
"I'm asking you whether you're right or wrong!"
Heero hadn't answered. He had been hoping the other boy would have had the answer, but apparently Heero wasn't perfect after all. Wufei knew the answer... once. But he'd forgotten it. He remembered his desire to fight all evil in the Universe. To destroy it and reign justice upon the world. Somewhere, he'd lost that.
Sitting in Nataku, waiting, waiting for the other pilot to come, he tried to remember that feeling. Tried to remember what *right* felt like. He waited for Heero to come. He knew he would. He knew Heero would come. They weren't finished yet. Heero still had to prove to him that Wufei was wrong.
He hoped he was. He hoped--his monitor bleeped to life. "I can't allow you to go to Earth."
" Is this what you call 'justice'?"
Across the feed, Heero's voice sent a delicious shiver of anticipation down his spine. This was it.
"There are always some victims when trying to achieve peace!" Wufei shouted back to him. "Evil is the only option left for me. The world hasn't changed no matter what humanity tries to do."
He was right; he had to be right.
"The more you fight," Heero shouted back at him, "the more victims for peace will die! We have no reason to fight anymore."
NO! He wouldn't believe that!
"Are you saying we've no need for fighters anymore? What will happen to all the fighters who know nothing but war?!"
They were hacking away at each other. The fight was more evenly matched now, gundam against gundam, pilot against pilot.
"Soldiers have been fighting for peace."
Peace? Ha! There was no such thing as peace!
"Put some trust in the world that lies here now!"
They cannot be trusted! Don't you see that? Can't you see! They are not fit to rule themselves! They are not strong enough!
"I am fighting for all soldiers," Wufei shouted to him, "including you and me! We're both the same. Aren't we at our prime when in battle?"
He was crying--Heero must have known that too. He hated him. Oh, how he hated him! Hated him for his spirit! Hated him for the fire in his soul, that determination that wouldn't die out!
" Wufei..."
"The battle field is the only place where we can realizing our existence!"
Why didn't he see? Why didn't he understand that?
"Wufei, Treize is dead! He defeated you!"
"NO! I am still at war with him!...."
He attacked, more ferociously than before. He needed it--he needed to feel alive again. The rage... the hate... it felt so good to just *feel* again... *anything*... to feel something...
"Relena Peacecraft is wrong," Wufei told the other pilot. "Peace can't be gained by doing away with arms and soldiers!
"Is that why you're supporting Mariemeia's dictatorship?"
"That's where all the fighters' souls rest!"
They were fighters! He should understand this!
"Mariemeia will do nothing but repeat all the miserable history!" Heero shouted back at him. "If we don't' stop the flow now, it'll be necessary for more fighters like ourselves! The tragedy will repeat itself forever!"
The... tragedy...
"Tell me, Wufei... how many times must we kill? How many more times must I kill that little girl and her dog...? Zero won't say anything to me, so tell me, Wufei... "
Wufei choked, the tears burning his eyes, blurring his vision. He could see it. The tragedy that was his life... burning, blurring before him... His colony, his clan, his life... puffed out of existence in a close of space dust. The tragedy...
"The tragedy will repeat itself forever," Wufei whispered brokenly, watching as Wing ZERO fell to earth.
They took the outer defense control room. It was a small victory, but a victory non-the less.
Anne was furious though. Before being knocked out, one of the soldiers had said there were only fulfilling Master Treize's wished. "They say this is Treize's idea?" She turned to look at the other Preventers who were with her. "They don't even know that they're being manipulated by Dekim."
She was angry. A quiet anger that penetrated and vibrated on the very air around her. How *dare* he? That *monster*. To use a child... and to corrupt Master Treize's ideals...
She would destroy him.
"Quickly! We need access to corridors 38 and 46!"
"What is your plan, Colonel?" Nicholas asked as the other five men swept past them to the computers.
"If we can get into the air ducts, we can get down into the main house," she told him, turning to watch the monitors. "I want him, Nicole."
"Then we shall deliver him to you," the young man answered, snapping into a salute.
They were ready to die. To take the three gundam suits with them. That's when their sensors went off.
"Wing ZERO!"
It was true! Yet again, when the going looked about beat, that crazy Japanese pilot showed up.
'Are you going to say the day again, Heero?' Duo wondered, praying to God he was.
"Let me verify... You're shield is up?"
"What... what are you planning?" Dekim asked.
"The shelter is complete?"
Down below, safe in her castle, Mariemeia wanted to laugh at him. "Of course! Show me how powerless you are!"
"Accepted."
And suddenly, things weren't so laughable anymore. She cried out as the world around her rocked violently.
"What an evil guy!" she cried, climbing back to her feet. "Can't he see this is futile?"
"Are you afraid? Mariemeia?" Relena asked.
The girl turned to look at her, those blue eyes wide. Relena looked calm and in control, unafraid at all. Mariemeia looked back to the vidscreen, allowing the ice of command to infuse her bones.
Wing ZERO fired again.
"Impossible!" her grandfather shouted. "Why?"
"Shields down to one-half!" one of the soldiers called out.
"You fool! Relena Peacecraft is down here! Stop it!" Dekim shouted over the com.
Outside, Quatre, Trowa, Duo, Zechs and Noin watched, helpless, wondering what the other pilot would do.
"Heero..."
Mariemeia gasped. HE wouldn't... he couldn't... No!
Wing ZERO fired again, the force of the blast tearing the already beaten gundam apart.
"Heero!"
Relena and Mariemeia coughed at the dust and struggled to regain the breath that had been knocked from them. The child was trembling. Lady Une pulled away, letting the two younger girls under her, up.
"Are you alright?" the Preventer woman asked.
"And you are...?" Mariemeia asked, staring up at the woman.
"Even though you maybe wrong," Anne told her, "I can not allow Master Treize's heiress to die." She smiled at the child as the girl stared up at her in awe with large blue eyes.
Someone shouted something about another gundam.
Wufei watched as the people shouted back at the Serpent mobile suits. He felt a stirring in his soul. A pride... a piece of happiness he'd thought lost.
"We can preserve out peace by ourselves!" one of the people shouted.
Wufei smiled. "A battle is not to be decided by soldiers only.... I don't have to fight anymore now..." he realized. "Goodbye, Treize..."
There was no defeat... They were the winners... She was a winner... she would ascend the throne and fulfill her father's wishes... She would...
Mariemeia stumbled, and suddenly, the Preventer woman who had saved her was standing before her, blocking her way.
"Forgive me," Anne said, raising her to strike the child.
But Relena got there first.
Mariemeia stared in shock at the two women, holding her stinging cheek.
"Open your eyes to the world, Mariemeia," Relena told her harshly.
She didn't know what to say. Relena had... hit her... "Relena..."
"You have already learned to fear," the former queen of the world said. "I'm sure you are able to realize your own wrong doing as well."
"Stop right there, Relena Peacecraft. Don't tell my Mariemeia such foolish things!"
"If you must, please shoot me," Relena said, turning to the old man. "I'm ready." And she was, she realized. She was willing and ready to die if that's what it took.
"Then allow me to tell you the truth before you die." How smug he seemed. "The people are *meant* to submit to their rulers!" He aimed his gun and fired.
Relena was ready--but suddenly she was pushed out of the way. Mariemeia cried out. The soldiers in the room cried out. Anne stared, horrified as the girl fell to the ground.
"Mariemeia!"
Relena ran to her; already a pool of blood was swimming around her small body, soaking her clothing.
"Another Mariemeia can always be created. I'll kill this young girl as well..." He was mad. There was no other excuse for it. That bullet the young soldier put threw his head was the kindest thing anyone could have done for him.
Relena watched as the gun was aimed at her again. A shot fired. Feathers flew. Blood splattered. Dekim fell to the ground. The trembling officer lowered his weapon. "I apologize for my betrayal to Madam Treize," he said, pulling himself into a salute to the fallen child. Elsewhere in the room, other soldiers followed him in salute.
"Hang on, Mariemeia," Relena told the bleeding child. Anne was at their side, hovering over them.
"I... was wrong," Mariemeia whispered. "I'm sorry."
"Mariemeia..."
"I'll put you at ease."
"Heero!"
There, standing five feet away from the three women, he stood holding his gun, aiming it at the child.
Mariemeia stared at him... and then smiled. "Thank you," she whispered, closing her eyes, accepting the bullet he offered her.
Heero pulled his trigger. The girl fainted.
"I killed Mariemeia," he whispered. "I don't have to kill anymore." And then he collapsed.
Relena screamed, racing for his falling body.
Anne yelled for her team of Preventers and to the other soldiers just standing around, shouting for them to get a medic. The area buzzed to life with activity.
The End
Next: "Promise of the Rings"
Andrea Readwolf
Please send comments to: andrea_readwolf@hotmail.com