Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Stolen Memories ❯ Chapter Twenty ( Chapter 20 )

Chapter Twenty

Relena sat stirring her coffee watching the others as they worked on a plan to extract Millardo and confront Une. She sat on an uncomfortable overstuffed sofa, Heero beside her working on his laptop. Since their intimacy in the bathroom Heero had not said much to her, but now as he worked he pressed his leg up to hers. She watched him out of the corner of her eye and delighted in the sensation of the contact and felt both reassurance and love from the simple gesture.

Duo had avoided them when they had emerged from the bathroom, apart from winking once at Relena when Heero was not watching. Relena had blushed and ignored the gesture. Wufei and Sally had returned an hour or so later with a shopping bag of groceries and a couple of plastic bags which contained clothes. Sally had tossed one to Relena, and inside she had found a cheap pair of jeans and a navy sweatshirt, together with a pair of blue sneakers. After gratefully changing into clean clothes, she had helped Wufei fry up some bacon and eggs for breakfast. After they had eaten Sally had attempted to fill the sink with hot water to wash the dishes, but she discovered there was no hot left.

"Who used all the water?" she had asked, and raised an eyebrow as Relena blushed again and Heero looked guilty before looking back down at his PC. Sally had not pursued the subject, but had given Duo a look that he correctly interpreted as `You will tell me all the details later'.

Relena was jolted back to the present by Heero suddenly closing his laptop, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"We need to isolate Dr Holt. He is the key to Une's plan and he has to be removed." Heero began, not moving an inch away from Relena even though so many eyes were on him now. "He has just entered Preventor Headquarters using his pass. His personnel file gives the office he works from. I suggest we go and detain Dr Holt and encourage him to remove Millardo's bot."

The others nodded in agreement.

"We will use passes with alias identities to gain access to Preventor HQ - Une will have flagged our normal passes as being insecure." Heero reached into the laptop case and held up an assortment of passes like a hand of cards. "I'll select appropriate identities for us on the way there. Duo, you need to bring the scanner and assess how many people are infected. Hopefully numbers will be minimal." Duo nodded "Sally, you stay here with Relena."

Relena blinked and looked quickly at Heero. Heero, anticipating an argument, narrowed his eyes and waited. Relena looked away.

"Of course." She sighed "I will be too easy to recognise and will jeopardise the mission. I understand."

Relena started stirring her coffee again. She had reluctantly agreed, but now felt literally like the fifth wheel. She was used to being in control of events, guiding people's actions. Here she had no control or influence. She was not needed. She did not like the feeling of not being essential.

Her teaspoon clinked as it completed another circuit of her cup. Heero looked up and caught her gaze on him. He watched her stir the liquid and was about to comment when his laptop beeped demanding attention. He frowned at what he read, and using a remote control turned the television on.

Pictures of Duo, Wufei, Heero, Quatre and Trowa were being shown. The announcer was reading out their names.

"To recap, the Preventors have just released photographs of the prime suspects in the Relena Darlian murder. If you encounter these men, please do not approach them as they are armed and extremely dangerous. Ring the special Preventor hotline number. All calls will be treated as confidential."

Duo grimaced "Uh oh…." He said, then got up and moved to the window. Tweaking the curtains he looked out towards Margaret's home. Margaret was looking out of her window towards him in horror, phone to her ear he could see her calling someone. "Time to move on guys." He raised a finger and pointed it towards Margaret and flicked his thumb up mimicking a shooting action. A muffled shriek could be heard, and Duo chuckled.

"What are you doing?" Sally demanded.

"We had a visitor this morning." Duo said seriously, dropping the curtain back and bending to pick up the scanner. "Our friendly neighbour has just made the connection between me and the news item. No, Wufei, too late for that." Wufei had leapt up, hand on gun, looking like he was about to use force "Just saw her on the phone. I would say that in a matter of minutes this place is going to be swarming. And anyway, she makes a terrific chocolate cake - cant hurt someone who cooks as well as she does!"

Heero was on his feet, holding Relena's hand he moved towards the door. "Plans changed, your coming with us." He said almost dragging her when she didn't move as fast as he did. "No time - lets go now!" He said to Sally as she moved towards her room to get her backpack. They all sprinted outside to the car and piled in.

"Let us hope that she is too scared to think of taking the plate number." Wufei commented and the engine roared into life and the car sped away from their sanctuary for one night.

* * * *

At Preventor Headquarters the phones were hot. Une watched as the operators took calls and recorded details. She shook her head as she listened to one frightened woman's account of being conned into giving the `hippie' pilot and his wife food. Une knew very well that Hilde wasn't with Duo. She moved along the line of operators listening into other calls. Every man and his dog had apparently seen Heero and the others in the last day or so, in locations from the Sanq Kingdom to the outer colonies. She really didn't expect to find them this way, but she knew that it would hamper whatever plans they had. Une sat back to enjoy the chaos smiling.

* * * *

Heero watched the security monitor people entering and leaving the Preventor Building. It was busy, but the guards were being thorough in their examination of identification papers and swiping passes. The staffing level at the entrance had been doubled, as well as staff posted to cover emergency exits around the building. Heero smiled. He didn't expect anything less of Une.

But it didn't matter how many guards were posted around the building. He could still get in. Just as he had built backdoors into the computer system, Heero knew of `backdoors' into the building in which he so recently worked. Number one rule, always have an escape plan. And the great thing about escape plans was they could always be reversed; exit routes could become entrance routes.

After fleeing from the safe house, they had driven to the shopping centre of the capital, parked the car up in a high-rise car park and gone their separate ways. They were to regroup by Preventor Headquarters at 1700: the end of the one shift and the beginning of another. It would be busy, hopefully busy enough for them to enter on the false passes that each of the pilots had.

Sally and Relena had left together with instructions to keep low until at the end of the successful mission the others contacted Sally. Heero knew Relena too well to expect them to be far away. He was not disappointed in his assessment of her character when he saw them together in a cafe sitting on stools, sipping coffee and watching the bar television.

Admittedly, they were not easily recognisable. Relena had her hair down, falling like a golden honey curtain down her back rather than her usual signature bun. With her face free of make-up she looked very young. And she was wearing the casual clothes purchased by Sally earlier in the day. Relena looked ordinary and was not attracting any attention. She was studying the television intently. Sally beside her was also dressed casually, her hair loose. Heero had not seen her out of uniform before and almost did not recognise her. Sally caught him looking through the window at them, and grimaced an apology for being so close, her eyes darting towards Relena. Heero understood the message and walked on, Relena was a forceful personality when she wanted to be.

Heero adjusted his cap as he walked. His hair was combed back from his face, neat and close to his scalp. His face was exposed and he felt uncomfortable. But without his hair hanging over his eyes he didn't look himself. Street lamps were coming on, it was dusk and people were starting to leave their place of work and head home. Rush hour was the time for them to move. Heero glanced to his left and saw Duo fall into step next to him, his shoulders hunched reducing his height, a baseball cap on his head, his braid tucked up under his jacket, collar up meeting the back of the hat so that his braid was hidden.

"You were supposed to cut it off." Heero commented, not checking his stride.

"….as if…" Duo muttered. "How long till we move?"

"Now. We will meet up with Wufei inside, if he makes it." Heero replied, turning and striding purposely towards the entrance of the Preventor building, his pass in hand.

There was a crowd milling in and out of the well-lit entrance. Heero and Duo joined separate cues of people entering, purposely choosing the cues monitored by young guards. Passes were being examined, photos compared to faces and then passes swiped to make sure the person was not already logged as being inside the building.

Heero schooled his expression into a big grin. It didn't come natural, but his id photo was wearing the same inane grin. And it certainly did make him look very unlike the normal sullen Heero Yuy. His pass was taken from his hand and he winked as the guard as she compared him to his photograph. She scowled at him and swiped the card, then handed it back.

"Proceed Preventor." She said, and turned to the next person in line.

Heero walked swiftly into the foyer of the building, turning to casually watch Duo's progress. He wore a grim, bored expression, not even looking at the guard who checked his pass. He was allowed through without difficulty.

"I can see you planning the retraining already." Duo commented as he walked up to Heero. Heero nodded, looking for Wufei.

"It is sloppy." Heero agreed, "But that is to our advantage this time." He trailed off blinking, and Duo followed his gaze. An attractive Chinese woman with an impressive bust in Preventor uniform was walking towards them. Her hips swayed enticingly and her shoulder length bobbed hair was sleek and glossy. Her face was made up elegantly and with care, lips painted perfectly in crimson, curved in a sultry smile.

"….Wu….?" Duo whispered weakly, having difficulty raising his eyes from the false bust.

Wufei took them by the arms and led them through the foyer into the stairwell, trotting up several flights in silence until they entered a service room. Here Wufei spun around glaring at the others as he undid his shirt and removed the stuffed bra he wore underneath.

"Thank you so very much Yuy." He grated as he worked "Imagine my surprise when I discovered that my pass stated that I was a woman." He produced a cloth from his pocket and began wiping his face of makeup.

Heero smiled "You had to be unrecognisable. You, of all of us, stood the most risk of detection as you work most closely with the local Preventor staff." He explained

Duo was grinning as he watched Wufei bind back his hair. "Just one thing, Wu." He said, ignoring Wufei's glare. "What shade of lipstick was that, it would look a treat on Hilde."

"Passionate Dream-" Wufei started to answer, then broke off and glared at Duo "Never speak of this again, or I will kill you both."

Heero crouched, his laptop balance on his knees. He smiled in satisfaction.

"Holt is on level six, in his office." He announced, closing the laptop. "Time to go and have a talk with the doctor. Duo, you start sweeping the levels with the scanner. Ascertain how many people are infected. Wufei, you're with me." He grinned "…if you've finished powdering your nose…" he said under his breath.

If Wufei heard him, he made no sign. "Duo, check your radio" he said, adjusting an ear piece."

Duo placed his own ear-piece in his ear, and listened while Wufei counted down from five. "Roger that" he said, and Wufei nodded confirming that he could hear him.

"Lets move" Heero said, slinging the laptop into a bag and over his shoulder. He opened the door, looked to see if anyone was in the stairwell, then signalled the others to follow. He and Wufei moved up the stairs, whilst Duo started down.

"Take care, sweetheart!" Duo murmured into his microphone.

"You're dead Maxwell" Wufei growled in response.

* * * *

Relena was staring at the news broadcast, watching the latest on how the leaders of the colonies had been placed into protective custody by Preventors in the face of the number of death threats raised against them since Relena's murder. In one easy sweep Une had gained access to all the leaders, and Relena knew exactly what Une had planned for them. A nice bit of mind control. Then Une would effectively have the rule of the earth and all the colonies. Relena exchanged a glance with Sally. They said nothing, they didn't need to.

The news went on to show footage of protests in the colonies. The colonists were protesting that their representatives had been unjustly imprisoned. Relena rubbed her forehead. Trouble was brewing.

On L3 the protest march had escalated into a riot. When the police had arrived to stop the march, citing that it was an illegal gathering, tempers had flared. Protesters refused to disperse, and riot police had been dispatched. They had formed barrier across the protesters planned path. Helmets were donned, shields were raised, batons uncovered. One final warning was given before the riot police started advancing banging batons against shields in a noisy attempt to intimidate the protestors.

Protesters retaliated by hurling rocks, rubbish tins - anything they could lay their hands on at the police. The police started using force, hitting at the protestor with their batons, and forcing them to move back. A tear started down Relena's cheek as she watched a young girl try and protect her head with her arms, as she was repeatedly hit with a baton.

"Enough" Relena said, getting up.

"Relena" hissed Sally "What are you doing?"

Relena looked at Sally. "This ends now. I am going to see Une." She turned and started walking to the door. Sally cursed under her breath and tried to stop Relena without drawing attention.

"Stop Relena" she hissed, grabbing her arm. Relena kept walking. "Damn it Relena stop!"

Relena paused once she stood on the footpath "Sally, don't try and stop me. Enough people have suffered because of my so-called death. If I wait for Heero to rescue Millardo, how many more people will be hurt or killed. I cannot live with that. No!" she held up her hand as Sally tried to speak "Nothing you will say will change my mind."

Sally frowned and nodded "Ok." She agreed "But I go with you, and you take this for protection." She discreetly passed Relena a very small silver hand gun. "I insist Relena, you take this. I know you know how to use a gun, Noin told me."

Relena hesitated, then took the gun, gingerly placing it in the waistband of her jeans where the cold metal felt strangely reassuring and empowering. "Not exactly regulation Preventor weaponry." She commented.

Sally grinned. "It was a gift from Wufei, he is a bit of a romantic at heart."

Relena raised an eyebrow before asking "Will it be detected by security?"

"They are going to get the shock of their lives seeing you breathing, they won't even think of searching you."

* * * *

Heero and Wufei walked up the empty corridor towards Dr Holt's office. It seemed that the majority of the Preventors were on assignment around the building. Heero paused outside a door, Wufei moved to the other side looking up and down the hall, ignoring the cameras that were trained on the door. Heero had already disarmed them and sent a looping signal to the control room who would be monitoring this area.

Heero pressed his ear up against the door, listening. No noise. Dr Holt was alone. Heero looked at Wufei, who nodded indicating that he was ready, and Heero tapped on the door.

"Enter" came a voice.

Heero turned the doorknob and walked into the room, Wufei following him. Dr Holt looked up from his desk where he was working straight at Heero's gun. Heero smiled.

"Hello Dr Holt" he said coldly "I have been really looking forward to meeting you."