Hmm...after reading this chapter, I've come to realize just how dissatisfied I am with the way I wrote this. I'm finding my characters to be rather shallow...I'm really going to have to work on my characterization skills. Although, it has been 4 years since I've touched this. *Groan*
Chapter 8 is proving to be pretty hard to write. I think the idea for this story was good and in it's time it was not too shabby, but gosh dern it! There are so many good authors out there! Geez, when I wrote this, the Black Rose was still writing "To Honor and Protect."
Now, you've got Zapenstap, Stella, Shevey, Tomorrow, Coley...need I go on??
Anyhoo, enough with the whining! To those who haven't read this fic before, here goes chapter 4...
Oh yeah, I don't own GW or it's characters, plot, yadda, yadda. You know the drill.
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Human Nature
Chapter 4 - Secrets
In the middle of the night, Relena shifted her position, unable to sleep. Every bone in her body seemed to hurt and her stomach burned with hunger. Her head pounded loudly as she tried desperately to stay awake. She couldn't sleep - not now. There just had to be a way out. She stared at the cell door, praying for a miracle. 'Humph! Praying isn't going to get you anywhere unless you get up and help yourself. You've wallowed long enough. Get up!' She commanded her body and somehow it obeyed. Her knees were wobbly, but she pressed on, cautiously approaching the small window at the top of the door.
She gasped. A thick green gas began to seep through the opening, followed by the shrill calls of a warning alarm. Several of the guards just outside began shouting and calling orders. Suddenly there was a loud thud and then silence. Only the hissing sound of the creeping gas could be heard. Relena's heart was beating a mile a minute. She heard the lock release and she froze. 'This is it.' She swallowed back her fear and waited for the door to open. 'I'll get out of here if it's the last thing I do! And then I'll find you and everything will be okay.'
The door slid open and she jumped at the soldier standing in the doorway with all her might, hitting him, clawing at him, fighting with everything she had. The soldier was not so easily defeated, however. Number one, she was weak and exhausted and number two, he was much stronger and bigger than she. 'No! No! I won't let you!' Her mind cried. 'I'm getting out of here and no one is going to stop me this time!' Tears streamed down her face as she blindly attacked him. He finally caught hold of her wrists, trying to stop her struggling, but she refused to give in, taking a firm bite into the hand that held her wrist.
He didn't even cry out or flinch. Sensing that it wasn't working, she yanked her body away as hard as she could, causing him to loose balance. But the soldier didn't let go of her arms and they both went crashing to the floor. She continued to struggle, but he pinned her body beneath his and held her wrist with an iron grip just above her head.
The fight in her died as exhaustion, hysteria, and utter despair flooded her senses. She cried without heed now. It was gone. She had no more strength and no more hope.
"Relena?"
Instantly her body froze. That voice?that was a voice she'd know anywhere. Her eyes flew open and she opened her mouth to call out to him, but nothing would come. Only a hoarse cry from the back of her throat arose. She wanted to reach up and hold onto him and never let go, but she had no more strength left. She could only make out outline of his jaw in the shadows, but his intense eyes seemed to burn through the darkness. They were the last thing she saw before everything went black.
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Citizen Governor Genot, head of the Colonial Cabinet, pounded his fist on the conference table. "We will not take any more chances!" He cried, in his French accent.
Lady Une sighed, rubbing her temples. "Please, Citizen Governor, you have to give us some more time. We're working on the problem as fast as we can."
"You've had almost a year! How long does it take?! How long should we wait for another madman to come along and destroy another one of the colonies' satellites?! No, Lady Une, we've been patient long enough. From here on in, we're taking matters into our own hands."
She narrowed her eyes and raised a brow. For a moment the voice and commanding tone of Colonel Une, echoed off the walls. "So, what you're saying is, you're ready to start another war?"
"Well, no?I?I?that is?" He stumbled on his words, desperately trying to find a sufficient answer.
She raised a brow. "Oh? I think you are, Citizen Governor." She spat. "Several reports have reached me that not only have you ordered a halt to the MS materials recycling project, but that you've also begun reconstruction on what used to be the Lunar Base. Tell me, why does the peace seeking leader of the colonies need such weapons?"
Genot smiled and answered in a calm, sickeningly sweet voice. "Now tell me, Lady, why a Minister of Peace needs spies."
Lady Une smiled back, ready and willing to play his little game. 'This is one battle you're not going to win.' "I suppose old habits die hard. But then, how do you know that *I* don't have my own stockpile of weapons and soldiers? Then there're the Preventors - they are peacekeepers not peacemakers. I wonder what would happen if I let your little secret accidentally slip out?"
"How dare you! You would leave the colonies defenseless?!"
"The colonies will never be defenseless. The Preventors fight to keep peace both on Earth and in the colonies. I told you before, Citizen Governor. Give me the time that I need."
The middle-aged man sat back in his seat and sighed. "Very well, Lady Une. I will give you two days, no more. It starts as of this second." His eyes narrowed and his face darkened as he leaned back over the table, his voice low and dangerous. "But I warn you, if anything happens on colonies, I'm holding you, your little group of assassins, and the Federation responsible!" He rose and bowed, twirling his long mustache between his fingers. "I wish you great success." He drawled, and then turned and left the room.
Lady Une released the breath she had been holding. She almost wished she were once again Colonel Une. He would be the first to go! Such narrow-minded people ought to be thrown off the face of the Earth. 'Hmm?' She shook her head. There were more important things to think about, although, the idea was tempting. Thank goodness she didn't have to see his weasel face for two days.
She whipped a small communications device out of her briefcase. "Come in 01. Are you there?"
"This is 01."
"Listen. It has to be done tonight. Afterwards, meet me here at the capitol. Hurry! Genot will not cooperate and we're running out of time. This has to be settled in 48 hours."
"Roger that."
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The voices seemed distant and far away. One was low and raspy, the other dark and deep.
"Have you got it?"
"Just about. The detonation devices are all in place. I just need to double check the synchronization levels."
Relena opened her eyes. Her vision was hazy at first, but her eyes soon adjusted to the darkness of the room. Dr J. was at a table a good 15 meters from where she stood, busily tinkering with some object or another. A tall soldier stood in front of a wall of surveillance monitors, computer terminals and the like. 'Heero?'
Relena glanced around her. Large crates to the rear and sides circled her. She moved to stand up, her stiff muscles sore and protesting. Once she did her eyes went wide and she gasped. The room was much larger than she had thought. She was in a large cargo area holding possibly tens of thousands of mobile suits. "My God!" She whispered, stunned and horrified.
Suddenly a hand was on her shoulder and she jumped. "Heero."
He nodded in response gazing at her intensely.
"What?how did?when did they assemble so many? We?"
He put a hand over her mouth and cocked his head, indicating for her to follow him. He walked to a small utility door and swiped a card into the security box. The door opened and he slid through.
Once in the room, he quickly began entering a series of codes into a small computer panel next to the door. The lights came on, followed by a small beep. Finally he looked up and spoke. "We can talk here."
"Heero, when did they get so many? Lady Une estimated only a few thousand, but we never thought there'd be this many. How were they able to collect all these in a year's time?"
"A lot has happened in the years since the Eve Wars ended. There are more resistance groups than you think. It really wasn't that difficult for them to join together in a common cause. The biggest problem in each nation is basically the same and the people are desperate. Ever since the war ended, economic recessions hit several of the dominant markets. Small nations suffered the most. What's more, there hasn't been very much attention given to them at the top and they intend to get it."
"But that's not true! They do have the federation's attention! Don't they understand? Several requests to grant aid and relief came from almost every representative of the major nations including the colonies. Trade programs with the colonies for raw materials would boost their economies by 43%. The figures are there!" She cried.
Heero nodded. "Yet the motions were stalled and then denied. Both Earth and the colonies are suffering because of it. Bartkusonete has many friends in high places. Many who were top military leaders serve in positions of power and wouldn't mind a bit more."
Relena balled her fists. "Power! Power! How stupid they are! Do they just want history to keep on repeating itself?! War leads nowhere. It we don't stop it now, Earth will be nothing more than a graveyard!"
"This isn't the first time peace has been threatened and it certainly won't be the last. Human nature in itself is not peaceful." He casually remarked.
Tears formed in her eyes. "I refuse to believe it! I will fight with everything I have to make sure that people can at least have some semblance of sanity and calm in their lives. They have a right to feel safe and live without fear - to know that they don't have to worry about anyone coming after them or their families anymore - to know that they won't lose anyone else - their parents, their brothers, their children!" She was dangerously near collapsing. Everything hit so close to home. She had been through so much. She knew, she understood what it was like.
"Then that's exactly what you should tell them."
Her head snapped up. "Tell them?!"
"They're all here, Relena, and they all have families. Most of these soldiers aren't aware of Bartkusonete's true objectives. And those who are, follow him out of fear. They don't think they have anywhere else to turn."
Her eyes were distant and she remained quiet for what seemed like forever. "And then?" She whispered.
"Then this base will cease to exist - not one MS will make it out in one piece."
She shook her head slowly almost eerily. "It won't stop him. I tried. But it won't."
Heero frowned and his mouth formed a tight line. Something was seriously off-key. She was as passionate and adamant as ever about her beliefs, but she was afraid - no more like scared to death. This wasn't the usual Vice-Foreign Minister kidnapping - something had gotten to her. His sharp eyes stared at her, deep in thought, for a moment, before he made his way toward her. He should say something, but what? Feelings were those things in that gray area - the place he so easily shut out. Come to think of it, his entire perspective of her was in that gray spot. He'd lost control before, and had spent months regaining it. 'Weak. You are weak.' He told himself. Just seeing her in tears threatened to push him back into that area he had fought so hard to repress. 'No!' His mind screamed. 'You can't afford to lose focus now!' But this?this was one obstacle he couldn't just eliminate. Besides, how do you eliminate an obstacle that is, at the same time, the solution?
Before he knew what he was doing he gently brushed away a few stray locks away from her face and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, as he had done not so long ago.
Relena shut her eyes at his touch. She had missed him so much. She needed his strength, his ability to overcome anything that stumbled into his path. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and have him hold her, assuring her that everything would be fine. But no, she couldn't. Not now - not until?"
The door slid open and his hand dropped.
Dr. J. chuckled mischievously. "Everything's ready. Although, I think I might have went a little overboard. We've wired enough explosives to blow this bunker straight to the moon."
Heero raised a brow. "I doubt that." He turned back to Relena. "We should go."
She looked up and stared into his eyes. They gazed intensely back, almost willing strength to her. She nodded and followed him out the door.
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Relena leaned against Heero, completely exhausted. She glanced down at all the people - there had to be thousands and she had just poured her heart and soul out to them. If only they would understand! Now was the moment of truth - one that would decide weather or not the plans the Federation had so carefully laid out would work in the future.
Many had listened to her words in earnest, but there were others who upon seeing her, looked like angry wolves, ready to tear her to pieces. It had been hours and she could do no more.
"Lieutenant?" A middle-aged woman with short, spiked red hair had made her way from the crowd and had climbed the steps up to the platform. She wore an old, yet highly decorated Alliance Uniform.
Heero watched her with an intense gaze. "Commander Janez."
She put her hands on her hips and nodded. "You. You were the pilot of 01, weren't you?"
He nodded in return, still watching a few of the more dangerous radicals in the crowd.
She turned to Relena. "May I say what an honor it is to finally meet you. I fought to the end against Oz, then against Libra. It was a hard battle, but it ended correctly. You must forgive me."
Relena was shocked. This was the last thing she had expected. "For what?"
"I never intended for this to go so far. I started the rebellion. I knew that an uprising would gain the Federation's attention. But then Bartkusonete came onto the scene. He was very good with words and he swept us all away with his promises and ideas. Please believe me. I've seen more death than most of the young soldiers here. I never wished for more."
Relena took the commander's hands in hers. "I do believe you. Now please believe me when I tell you that you do have the Federation's attention. You've had it from the beginning. But this way is wrong. You've been in hiding, focusing all your energy on producing weapons rather than voicing your distress to the world. Sometimes people won't listen unless you force them to by not giving up. Please help me end this!"
The woman remained silent for a moment before looking back at Heero. She followed his gaze to a few of the commanding officers standing just a few meters away from them. "They won't give up so easily. They all have promises of power."
"At the moment, they don't have much choice." He replied coolly. A sardonic smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and then disappeared.
"The detonators? Yes. They're perfectly placed. Although, don't you think you went overboard? There's enough force to blow scrap metal to the Moon." She didn't wait for a reply and quite honestly didn't expect one. She'd heard of the legendary pilot of 01 and Wing Zero. He appeared just a few days after Bartkusonete had taken over and she had recognized him instantly. He had been her subordinate for a long time and she could easily see why he was donned "The Perfect Soldier." She turned toward the large audience.
"This is it." Her voice echoed off the steel walls. "You've been given your options and war isn't one of them. You can either accept this mission and return home or you can face the consequences. This base will cease to exist in less than an hour so I suggest you make your minds up quickly."
Relena sighed. That wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Janez caught her expression and smiled. "Again, I must ask forgiveness, but quite a few of these men are battle hardened soldiers, not new recruits. You're going to have to give them a little more time to think about what you said. Unfortunately, we just don't have it. They're accustomed to orders and they'll follow them."
"Nemov, Asheid, Jonesey, Van Gottheil! Take your men and get to the flight deck. Make sure that all aircraft is fueled and secured. I want all staff and personnel evacuated within forty-five minutes. MacCrawl, Anderson, Kabutu! I want your units guarding every sector of this facility. All weapons will remain inside the base. You have any problems; you contact me or you contact the lieutenant. Understood?"
"Yes Ma'am!"
"Good. Now move out!"
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Relena hurriedly walked up the ramp of the shuttle and quickly slipped past the cockpit and into what should have been seating for passengers, but since it was a military aircraft, was only a cargo hold. She gulped. Heero was not happy. She hadn't received "the glare" from him in a long time. He was as silent as always when he led her and Commander Janez to the shuttle. This time, however was different. Oh, she'd seen him annoyed and a bit?perturbed, but never furious. To prove it, every now and then she noticed his fists clenching and unclenching or that slight twitching of his right eyebrow. She chewed on her bottom lip, nervously. Suddenly she furrowed her eyebrows. 'Why am I afraid? He's held a gun to my head more times than I can count. Why should this time be any different?' Full of righteous indignation, she stomped toward the door and pressed the release.
Well, yes sireee. There he stood, complete with clenched fists, twitching eyebrow, and, of course, the death glare. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words died on her tongue as the engines ignited and the shuttle began to shake. Relena toppled, but before she could fall, Heero wrapped an arm around her waist and quickly pulled her with him to the far right side of the shuttle. With lightning speed he united the leverage bands from the hooks and wrapped them around her waist several times, firmly securing them. He pinned her against the wall and took a firm hold on the steel rails lining the walls on either side of her. She gulped and held her breath when he brought his body against hers and looked directly into her eyes. "Whatever you do, keep your head back."
She didn't have time to recover from his touch or reply when the shuttle took off - at a much higher speed than normal. The whole cabin vibrated against her head, making it feel as though it were going to explode and her stomach dropped to her toes.
As they gained altitude and speed, Heero's body flew out until it was perpendicular to her own. He clenched his teeth and strained his arms to hold onto the rails as the g-forces increased.
Relena glanced around nervously. Obviously this shuttle was not quite flight-ready. A few of the larger crates were unsecured and could become very dangerous once they attained the weightlessness of outer space. She glanced down to look at Heero, but although she could only see the top of his head, Relena could tell the muscles in his arms were being pulled to the max. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the shuttle shook so violently it caused Heero to loose his grip. Crates, boxes, and other large, heavy object went flying. Before she could think, she pushed her head and arms from the wall with all the strength she could muster and caught hold of the black lapel on his jacket.
He whipped his head up to face hers and his blue eyes burned brightly. He grabbed onto her arm, pulling himself back and forcefully pushed her back against the wall. "Keep your head back!" He commanded angrily.
A large object in the corner of her vision caught her eye. "Heero!? She cried out too late as the large crate grated the side of his face and blood started to pour from the wound. Everything began to float as they finally passed through the ionosphere and into space where the ride turned smooth.
"Heero?"
He fixed her with a firm gaze. "Stay put until everything's tied down."
Relena closed her eyes, and let out the breath she had been holding. This whole ordeal was still far from over and she still had a feeling the worst was yet to come. How much more could she take? A few tears seeped out of the corners of her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. She couldn't afford any tears at this point. Relena's eyes flew open as she felt warm breaths of air on her face and went wide. Heero was dangerously close to her face, his eyes still blazing with the same fire from when she had grabbed onto the lapel of his jacket.
"Tell me." He commanded huskily, his usually cold and calculating voice low and breathing erratic.
She struggled under his gaze, knowing full well that he wanted an explanation both for her tears and frantic behavior in the cell earlier. God knows, she wanted to tell him everything, but how could she? What would he say? He would think her foolish, weak, unable to even? She shook her head, her eyes stung with the threat of more tears. "Heero, I?I?"
Before she could utter another syllable, his lips came down on hers in a hot, searing kiss.
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TBC...