Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Road Not Taken ❯ Part II ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
ROAD NOT TAKEN


Disclaimer: Gundam Wing, I don't own it!


~*~*~

The following month carried on as a nightmare for the Vice Foreign Minister. Nothing out of the ordinary aside from the fact that she received tauntingly threatening letters every single week. They were found either on her office desk, her dresser at home, or her home office. She no longer felt safe in her private quarters. The culprit had been to all the locations where Relena traveled on a daily basis. She could already be dead if he so desires. However, she continued to believe that the wisest decision would be not to tell anyone. It was her problem and she would handle it - or so she told herself.

With reluctance, she glanced at her watch. "7:14. Still plenty of time for that broadcasted conference." Relena waited to be escorted to the session when she noticed yet another unmarked letter sitting on her windowsill. Every time she discovered a new letter, she felt as if she had unleashed some horrible evil to the world. Regardless of the circumstances, she couldn't ignore them nor leave them untouched. Curiosity got the best of her and so she opened the sealed envelope impatiently and retrieved the item, like all the previous times. It was a photograph of herself gazing outside her bedroom window a few days back. She remembered...


~*~*~

It was late at night and Relena removed her formal attire for the lacy silk nightgown. She felt exhausted and needed some air before laying down to rest for the evening. When she opened her window, she could see the full moon displaying its brilliance along with millions of shining star children surrounding her. She could almost sense Heero with her at that time. Whenever she gazed toward the heaven and the stars, only one person came to her mind. It was such a pleasant feeling and she never wanted to lose touch of it.

~*~*~


She felt safe that night but someone was watching, lurking, and spying on her. They even managed to get a shot of her. On the photograph, there was a message imprinted with a permanent black marker, which read mockingly...


THINK THE DOVE IS SAFE? THINK AGAIN.


Relena's fingers began to tremble and her breathing became unsteady. Fear enraptured her heart and stung her conscience. Her watch now read 17:20. Then came a gentle knock on her door. The sudden sound startled her and she held a hand up to her chest to stop the pounding of her heart. A bodyguard named Samuel stood at the threshold, waiting.

"I'm here to escort you to the conference. You ready?" he asked calmly.

"Um.. Yes of course." She replied in her most diplomatic voice and produced the smile of a controlled politician. She simply couldn't lose control now. Nothing would happen to her, she reminded herself. There were too many people here. The culprit behind the messages wouldn't dare to make his move tonight or maybe it was all a figment of her imagination.

Samuel directed her into the room and from her arrival, several reporters and television stations were situated in place, waiting with anticipation for Relena to deliver her speech regarding to the resource delivery system to and from the colonies.

With cue-cards in hand, she walked over to the wooden stand and placed her notes on podium. Milliardo gave her a slight nod as she cleared her throat. Her brother was constantly by her side, acting very much like the protective brother and no one dared to question his position. As she begun her speech, she noticed that she brought the photograph with her, without even realizing it.


'What on earth possessed me to bring this here?' She thought. She took several deep breaths to regain her composure and concentration. Then she began.



"Good evening. It is to my knowledge that..." Relena trailed off as she gazed out to the audience and thought she saw a flashing light. Once again fear consumed all her thoughts and it seemed as if the flicking of the camera lights entranced her.

The audience waited for her to continue. An eerie silence enclosed the vicinity as everyone stared at the spokesperson to resume her speech. But she couldn't do it.

"I...I'm sorry. I can't do this right now." She whispered, then darted toward the exit. Questions started to stir among the crowd as the onlookers remained in their seats, completely bewildered by her actions.

"Relena? What's wrong?" Milliardo called out. She was out of the room before she could reply. He stepped toward the microphone and announced, "Apparently there had been an emergency situation that Miss Relena needed to attend to. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."

As he glanced down on Relena's speech, he narrowed his eyes when he saw the photo. There was something wrong indeed. Without waiting for the media to respond, he departed the scene in search of his younger sibling.

"What happened?"

"Where is Vice Foreign Minister going off to?"

"What happened to the question and answer section?"

"Do we get any refreshments?"

All questions were left unanswered as the guards directed everyone to leave immediately.




"What's going on?" Duo commented, pointing to the monitor, as he watched the live broadcast backstage with Quatre and Trowa. The three former Gundam pilots were as shocked as Milliardo and they didn't know what to make of the situation. Relena had never missed a conference, a meeting, or any important political gathering, and they all knew it.

"Let's find out." Trowa replied, while he slipped into his navy blue jean jacket.




Milliardo found her in the Green room, sitting on one of the couches, with her face in her hands, looking obviously troubled.

He walked to her side and kneeled in front of her. "Mind telling me what's wrong?"

She raised her head and stared straight through the same pair of sapphire eyes as hers. "There's nothing wrong. Maybe I've been working too hard. It...it's the stress. Nothing a good-night's rest wouldn't cure." She lied.

"I found the photo," he said while maintaining eye contact with her as he brought it out from behind him. She simply stared at it, unmoving.

"Explain this Relena." Zechs asked gently, placing a hand on her shoulder for support.

"It isn't the first time I received something like this. I didn't think much of it then." She exclaimed and leaned her head on the headrest. She never realized how tired she was until now. Everything had become a jumble of thoughts in her mind and she couldn't fit anything together properly. "I'm scared, brother." Her voice quivered that sent chills down his back.

"I think we should call him." he said, half walking to the exit, half reaching for his cell and dialling HQ.

"Call who?" Relena wondered.


TBC...