Chapter 1
In Space
The girl stared at the screen for the upteenth time this hour. 'It can change but I can't,' she thought not unreasonably. The doctors had left for the supply run to the nearest colony. 'I hope they get held up at the local speedy mart.' Elyn inwardly sighed and stared at the screen again. On the screen something caught her attention.
Behind a girl speaking to the crowd there was a boy. He looked at the crowd with a calculating stare, obviously ascessing who was the greater threat to the speaker. However, his looks were her most concern. 'He looks like- No, couldn't be him. He-Died? Why didn't he. . .' Elyn pondered this as she went into her usual confines of her mind, and stared unseeing, into the damnable television screen she had no choice but to see. Hope then reared its head and couldn't break away, driving her deeper into chaos.
On Earth. . .
Heero looked out into the crowd of countless reporters and inwardly groaned. 'How much longer are they going to drag her back into the lime light?'
Relena finished the last of the questions in due time, but she looked as exasperated as Heero felt. Walking out the back, they said nothing, just enjoyed the companionable silence.
Duo appeared out of nowhere to take her to her house. "All set you two?" he grinned as he opened the door. Heero shut the door after Relena got in smiling goodbye to him. "Check you later, Heero." Duo saluted him off handedly.
Heero nodded back and gave Relena the briefest of smiles, then returned to the inner conference area to search out the preventor teams and debrief them. "Teams 8, 13, and 27 report."
"There was no sign of terrorist threat of any kind." Trowa, 27's leader, stated.
"Well, unless you count that old 'mah dahmes' perfume, whew!" the leader of team 8 commented. Everyone but Heero and Trowa laughed. Trowa did smile at Heero's attempt of remaining calm and collected. It was like having 10 Duo Maxwells. They drove everyone mad.
"Rookies." Heero yelled. "Your dismissed to hq until the next conference."
"Sir!"
"Having fun, Heero?" Trowa kidded as they drove down to the Preventor headquarters in his Chevy truck.
"Damn, kids."
"Hah! Since when did you get to be 21? You're still only 17."
"... " Heero was beginning to regret getting so close with the fellow pilot. 'I'm getting to be too readable.'
Something suddenly caught his attention. He didn't know what but he looked around. Reporters were going back to there cars and vans, others were going home too. Nothing. Heero checked the roofs with his eyes. Still nothing. Yet, he knew that someone was right behind him, calling.
"Heero, let's go. You don't want to be the last one there. Those "kids" will eat us alive because of it."
"Shut up." Heero got on his motorcycle and drove ahead of Trowa. Trowa laughed and mumbled to himself, "Yeah, I will. When you finally ask Relena out."
At Preventor HQ
"For the last time, No!" Duo yelled as he ran from a dozen rookies.
"Aww, come on! Show us the picture! I want to see!"
"Yeah! Show us!"
"Heero!! Help!" Duo ran into his office and ducked behind the desk. Rolling his eyes, Heero put down his files braced himself for intruders.
"Yipes! The Captain!" Derek yelped as he tried to stop from colliding into the desk.
"Crap!" Came out of a dozen mouths behind him.
Heero again, rolled his eyes and pulled Duo out from under the desk. "What is going on?"
"Uh, they want to see my picture of Hilde in a disconcerting pose." Duo flicked the photo out and showed him Hilde wearing a eighties sweatsuit swinging her hips like elvis. Heero shook his head, took the picture, and flicked out a lighter.
"Wait! What are you doing!?" The rookies and Duo cried out together.
Sighing exasperatedly, "I am burning the photo, because if I don't, Duo, you are going to be killed by Hilde, and you are needed in space."
Duo swiped the photo quickly and took off down the hallway. "After him!" the rookies left and Heero was left with a shabby windblown floor. Papers askew, and his coffee mug staining the only spot on the carpet that was impossible to cover with a piece of furniture.
Swearing to himself to never get into that type of predicament, he shuffled papers back onto his now empty desk and sat down on it in disgust.
Knocking at his door brought him to his feet to see Relena looking at his disgruntled appearance and trying not to laugh. 'Why am I the funny one?' "Hello, Relena."
"Having problems, Heero?" she chuckled as her hand bent to pick up the mug and left over coffee within it.
Rolling his eyes again he nodded and proffered a only standing chair.
They both looked outside the window and watched Duo make a mad dash for his car, presumably to get to the shuttle station nearby.
"Did he used to run that fast?" Relena joked.
"Watch. Hilde's back."
And Hilde did rush out from the main door shouting, "HOW COULD YOU SHOW THAT TO THEM!?"
Relena laughed so hard that even Heero had to smile. Duo was the winner of that race. However, he wouldn't win the war.
'Heero?'
Heero looked up at Relena, noticing that she wasn't saying anything. She was still laughing. 'Strange. Who said that?'
'Can you here me?'
"Hn."
"What?" Relena asked as she watched the birds play in the birdbath.
"Nothing. Did you need anything?"
"No, I was just visiting. Une asked me to come and bring some information about the project on Mars. Actually, I'd better get going. I'll see you later." She left and smiled again.
'Heero, answer me!' A sharp pain went with that plea. It hit Heero right in the head, like someone hit him with a rock.
'What the hell?' Heero looked out the window and couldn't find the source. 'Again, nothing. Heh, I guess I finally lost it.'
'Please. I'm tired of being the only one awake.'
Heero could tell now that it was a girl's voice, but that was it. 'Who are you?'
chapter 2 coming soon.
Elyn Yuy
whew! Now I'm bushed. G'night!