Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Ballad of Revolution ❯ Introduction into Danger ( Chapter 1 )

 

 

 

This Fic starts less than a year after Libra, but several things are different. Relena had no part of the 195 war with the Gundam pilots other than meeting Heero in space who she helped from time to time. Many soldiers are still alive and it was the people who worked together to bring peace not the politicians who tried to move history into their direction. Unofficially, the colonization of Mars has begun, but things are starting to heat up when many disputes intensify.

 

Standard Disclaimer: Characters and other aspects of Gundam Wing belong to their rightful owners, this work is purely for enjoyment.

 

 

Gundam Wing

Ballad of Revolution

From the Desktop of Rei “Of Reminiscence”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Episode One: Introduction into Danger

 

 

 

 

 

Heero calmly took a sip from his espresso as he scanned the newspaper. Vice Foreign Minister Sheridan was shaking hands with Representative Cooper. The politicians were making an effort, but unless something happened, they would all be heading back to war. The Gundam Pilots came to an uneasy alliance with Lady Une after the assumed death of Treize and the rise of the White Fang. Then, when he destroyed Libra, the alliance seemed to solidify. Heero took another sip from his espresso and looked around. The state of the colonies had improved. The environment controls were recently replaced or fixed, and currently the buildings and homes were subject to inspection and construction. Yes, it all seemed like life was improving, but Heero knew better—he could read between the lines, see the forced smiles, and feel the tense atmosphere between the colonies and Earth. Heero's eyes narrowed, things had changed, but not enough.

“Do you need anything else Heero?”

Heero looked at the young woman before him. Relena gave him shelter once or twice times during the war and since then, he made it a habit to periodically check up on her. She was an Orphen, but unlike many of her kind, she lived as the adopted daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Smythe—her life and future was better than most. Relena wore her hair long and straight so it trailed down her back. Her clothing usually consisted on low jeans, flat shoes or sandals, and two layers of shirts (one long sleeved and one short). While she was not a pacifist, she did hate war. During the time he first spent with her she reminded him of his purpose and somehow filled him with vigor and perseverance. A glimmer of a silver chain around her neck caught his attention and it satisfied him. He gave her the pendant the year before and made her promise that if she was ever in need of help, she was to find Duo Maxwell on L2 at his salvage shop and show him the pendant—Duo would then find him for her. At first, she laughed it off, but after an accident, she shyly accepted it. It wasn't much, but Heero had to safe guard her from his association. The girl had knack for getting into trouble even without his involvement.

“No, this is fine. Did you make it?” Seeing her nod he smiled, “It's good. How have you been?”

Relena took a quick glimpse around at the customers and sat down seeing how no one needed anything at the moment. “Business has been good, and the computer system is fine so far…” She paused as if trying to decide what to say next. “Heero, if I gave you something do you think you could or ask someone to check something out?”

Heero eyed her hands gripping each other until they turned white and leaned forward, “I'm leaving tonight, but if you tell me what it is I can work on it during my flight out.”

Relena pulled a white envelope out of her pocket and placed it on the table, “The letter…it's just so bizarre and well I didn't know who else to ask.”

“Leave it to me,” Heero took the envelope and tucked it into his jacket pocket, leaning back as he did so. “Actually, Relena I changed my mind, could I have one of your sandwiches for the trip back?” He chuckled as she pointed to a nondescript brown bag sitting on the counter.

 

 

 

 

 

Save for the co-pilot, Heero's trip back into space and work was routine. The co-pilot was Trowa Barton. Somewhere along the way, Heero called Trowa in to work with him. The other pilots were, of course, keeping up with the situation passively through updates or discreet investigations, but Trowa, with his quiet but intelligent and resourceful demeanor, was a welcomed change. Heero knew he didn't mind giving up hours and days or even weeks in an attempt to keep everything in control. Trowa was, Heero decided, more like him than any other pilot. Heero leaned back in his chair and opened the brown bag from the café. Inside were two sandwich halves (one chicken and one tuna) chips, two cans of soda, and, to his amusement, a bag of cookies with a post-it note attachment that read: Smile! -R. Relena always seemed to try her best to make everything seem better.

“Good visit?”

Heero allowed himself a grin and even gave Trowa first choice of sandwiches. “You could say that. I always check up on Relena now and then to see how she is doing. Her coffee shop is a success.” Heero smirked as Trowa eyed the sandwich he has just bitten into, “For obvious reasons.”

“I see. Did you make the transfer?”

Heero clicked a few keys on the laptop in the console set in the middle of the pair and up on the dashboard. “Yes. The Doctors have been surprisingly supportive in this…they still don't trust Une or anything that was once related to OZ.” Heero took a memory stick out of his jacket pocket and plugged it in, “and they gave me this.” The blueprints flashed across the screen and Heero watched Trowa out of the corner of his eye, “The Gundams have been rebuilt Trowa.”

“With updates it seems…Une may not like this and the Representatives won't like it either if they find out. This practically ensures the coup d'etat.” Trowa paused the slideshow and backtracked to focus on Heavyarms. “Do you want to contact the others?”

Heero eyed his food, “Lets report in first and then we'll decide.”

Trowa nodded and watched Heero eat for a moment before refocusing on his own food.

 

 

Relena scrubbed the counter down and scowled at a particularly messy spot on the counter. The sugar-filled liquid had dried on the counter top and rather than continuing to scrub it, Relena sprayed a cleaning solution on it to let it soak. With a small groan, she allowed herself to sit down. The last customer has left just a few minutes ago, well past the 6:30 closing time, but Relena didn't mind too much. Turning the swivel chair around away from the counter, Relena started calculating the total of food and coffee sold, to compare with the total in the register. Heero…Relena smiled and felt some of the tension in her body slip away. His visits were short and she never knew when he would stop by, but just seeing him for a few minutes every couple of months was nice…? Relena shook her head. Seeing Heero was more than nice, but Relena couldn't bring herself to say so to Heero.

For one, Relena was an Orphan—a “M status” Orphan at that and Heero was a pilot. Orphans rarely even had the opportunity to work in a respectable business, and most Orphens married other Orphans. Relena paused in her counting, lost in thought. An image of Heero marrying a respectable woman came to mind and she tried her best not to feel sad over it—Heero would marry as his station in life would require—he was a respectable man and so he would marry a respectable woman. She didn't know much about Heero, but she did know that he deserved everything for his dedication and kindness.

A shadow enveloped her and her working table, a man coughed harshly and Relena turned around. “I'm sorry but we're closing, but I can get you a quick tea for that cough.” She leaned forward on the counter and motioned toward the different tea flavors. “Vanilla Spiced Chai Tea is really good…”

“We didn't come here for tea. Are you the owner of the shop, Relena Smythe formerly Orphen?” Two more shadows joined the first and Relena leaned away gripping the cleaning cloth in her right hand.

“What—what do you want?”

The first shadow nodded to the second and third shadow. “We need you to come with us. I am sure you'll understand—it is a very important matter that concerns the safety of yourself and several others.”

Relena backed away, “I am very safe here thank you very much…” Relena managed to evade the first pair of hands that grabbed for her, but she was hard pressed to escape the second and third pair of hands. Shoving as much money as she could in her pocket, Relena made a mad dash for a hidden exit throwing chairs, cups, and even equipment in the direction behind her hoping to buy some time. Making it to the back door, she cursed as another man leaped out and grabbed her.

 

 

 

Lady Une nodded to Heero and Trowa as they stepped into her office, patiently waiting for her to get off the phone. She motioned to the seats placed before her desk knowing that even with the offer they wouldn't sit down. Une had doubted her abilities when she was nominated for the position as head of the Preventors, but the reliability the people had known Treize for accompanied her presence where ever she went. Now that Treize was dead she was a reminiscence of the old world—something the people understood, loved, and believed—the only sensible person for the job. One of the Gundam pilots could have done the job as she did, but they did better in the shadows, and the people who had regarded the pilots as enemies for so long still had troubles accepting them as allies.

The man on the phone completed his report and a simple tug on his tie became interpreted as a sign of an encoded message. Une pressed a few buttons and nodded, “Thank you for your people Lt. Chavez, if anything happens, let me know.” The connection remained for another moment before Une cancelled it and printed out the message. Frowning over the message, she leaned back and looked at Trowa and Heero. Trowa's abilities made him a formidable pilot, but the single minded determination that Heero carried with him like how Treize carried his nobility. She inwardly sighed, it was amazing how much had changed since January 195, but there was no time for that now. “Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton, please tell me that you have good news.

Trowa spared a glanced at Heero before closing his eyes and leaning against the wall. “The transfer was made successfully. Information that the Doctors gave us indicate the further development of resources—the information also mentions a lost child.”

Une blinked, “A lost child? Did they loose someone?”

“No. Apparently, this child is someone that was lost by someone else over a decade ago. It is likely that the child is an adult now.” Trowa moved forward and dropped the envelope on the desk, “All the information is on the disk's file's, but the doctors said that they could do nothing about the new encryption right now. Give them time and they will have it.”

“There's something else. Keep it quiet for now, but the doctors have started rebuilding the Gundams.” Heero crossed his arms, “They are for the purposes of the Gundam pilots only. For you to use the Gundams through us, you must share information, and send us regular updates.”

Une nodded, “Of course, I've heard your lecture before Heero, there is no reason to repeat it. I do want to know one thing—are you now going to call in the other pilots?”

Heero turned away, moving to walk out of Une's office, “They'll come find us when their ready. You know how to reach me if I'm not here.”

Trowa gave Une a small apologetic smile as Heero walked out of the office with out anything else to say before leaving himself. Une leaned back in her chair and looked out the window to the busy city below, Oh Mister Treize, would you be proud of what we have done in your absence?

 

 

 

Relena panted with the effort it took to keep evading her would-be captors. The man who grabbed her was still, hopefully, in a crumbled ball on the ground. The other three men though were still pursuing her. She gasped as a stitch in her side almost made her crumble in pain, but she knew better than to stop. Relena searched her mind trying to figure out what they wanted with her, but she came up with nothing. The drum of boots on concrete warned her of another impending confrontation with the men. As much as she tried, Relena couldn't run any faster, and as she turned a sharp corner, she ran straight into one of the men. Relena cried out as the man threw her to the ground.

“Bitch! That was my brother!” The man sneered over her form as she held up an arm from his attack. The pipe that he held made a satisfying crack against her forearm when thrown at her, and the few wild punches he got in succeeded in busting her lip and bruising her rib cage. Oddly enough, the arrival of the other two men was a relief since they managed to get her attacker off of her.

“Calm down! Commander said she wasn't to be harmed! Taki is picking up your brother, let her go.” The man couched down beside her, and through her pain, Relena just faintly recognized the concern on the stranger's face. “I'm sorry Miss but I do have orders to bring you in.”

“And I have orders to stop you.” The men turned around to the sight of a dozen adversaries dressed individually to their own liking but each bore a white scarf on their arm. “Release her and leave the colony now before we decide differently.”

The sound of a brief scuffle reached Relena, but she was reassured when a man helped her sit up and handed her a water bottle. “Miss, will you be alright? We could take you to a doctor.”

Relena shook her head, “No, I need to get transportation to L2. If you could help me get there, I have friends who will help me.” She watched intently as the men turned towards the van and with a decisive nod gently picked her up.

At first, when she took a first glimpse of the van's interior, Relena was unsure if she could trust these men. However, when they waited for her to take the first step into the van, she was some what reassured. The man who sat across from her chuckled, and readjusted his glasses.

“Well, my dear, its nice to finally meet you.”

Relena peered at the man trying to comprehend the possibility that somehow she should know him. The van jumped forward, jarring her arm, but soon the van was taking an easy pace towards the docks. “Thank you for your help, but I'm sorry, I don't know who you are.”

He chuckled, “I should hope that you don't know me, actually, I know you through Heero—after every time he would report in person he would head over to your coffee shop.”

Relena blinked, “You—you know Heero?”

The man leaned forward, took her arm with his metal one, and steadily began wrapping the injured limb with medical gauze. “Yes, I guess you could say I've known him for several years now, I am Dr. J—I'm a scientist.”

“You built Heero's plane?”

Dr. J pursed his lips together and adjusted his glasses. “I guess you could say that. Now, who is on L2 that can help you? Your arm at least needs an X ray and a cast.”

“Hopefully my one friend will be there—but if he isn't I'm sure that I would find help just the same.” Relena fiddled with the gauze one her arm, “I'm sorry to ask this but could we stop so I could get some money out? I never carry cash on me, and the money I took from the store won't be enough for a ticket.”

“No, don't worry about it, we'll get the transportation for you, besides I owe Heero a debt or two. Now, listen closely my dear or else something may go wrong. The transportation you'll have will be on a Winner corporation carrier, don't go on any other one if you have to get a ride off of L2. Once you get to L2 take care not to be seen, changing colonies won't stop people from finding you. Keep to the shadows and don't make yourself known to anyone—not even to ask directions. Look for directions in a phone book, directory, or signs.” Dr. J leaned forward, “But, most of all, do not misplace your trust.”

The van came to a halt, but the man in the front passenger seat left first to secure her ride. Relena took the opportunity to take a good look at the Doctor. Obviously older, the man had replaced the lost of his limbs with mechanical supplements, and despite his glasses, Relena suspected that his eyes also contained an artificial element. His lab coat was clean except for the sleeves—probably from the ink and lead from his design boards and sketches. “Doctor, why did those men come after me?” Relena sat back and looked out of the window, “And why were you there to help me?”

“I don't know young lady, but maybe its because Heero just visited you earlier today. I myself was just passing through the area.” The man returned and opened the door, but Doctor J tapped her knee, “Remember what I said Miss—do not misplace your trust.” With that said, Relena nodded and obediently followed the man who guided her to the Winner carrier.

Secured in the back, Relena nodded at the man and braced herself for the upcoming flight. The weight of the pendent on her chest seemed to pull her down with it and for once Relena wondered if she understood the world around her.

 

 

End of Chapter One

 

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NEXT TIME: Episode Two - Step Forward Into Terror

 

“It's unlikely that Relena is Zechs's long lost sister—she has always lived in space.”

 

“Whatever we might know or think, is quite different from what they know or think. If they think they found Zechs's long lost sister and the girl friend of the first class special operations Preventor Heero Yuy it won't matter what we think.”

 

“Heero?” Relena's adopted mother breathed a shaky breath into the phone, and Heero had the vague idea that the woman's throat was also tight with the tears she had cried. “Aroma is a mess, and some officers are here now. What can we do? They took her and she never had a chance.”

 

Relena moaned as the debris shifted above her until the metal sheets pulled away. Her arm throbbed and she resented the men who stood above her and Hilde. Something deep inside screamed for her to get up and run, to flee the men with distant eyes, but the voice fell silent to the encompassing darkness that came with the prick of a needle.