Codename Lightning Chapter 2 (PG-13)

[HeeroPV]

Codename: Lightning
A Shin Kidou Senshi Gundam W fanfic by Preventer Void
Chapter 2: Lightning Strikes

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Not much to say. This is a revised version of the same fanfic on Fanfiction.net that you guys and girls are getting an early look at. I suppose it's worth noting that the other Preventers in this chapter are based on characters who appeared in the Wing role-play where I met my wonderful girlfriend, who remains an inspiration to me at all times. Rather than ramble on, however, I'll let you get to reading. ^_^;;

********************

She knew they were here. It was all just a matter of finding them.

Relena sidled along the wall of the building, trying to get close enough to peer around the edge. When she did, she only poked enough of her head around so that one eye could look; Heero had taught her that it was less obvious that way. She saw her prey: a man about her age with short blonde hair, wearing a navy blue jumpsuit. He was casting furtive glances here and there, looking for more targets as well. She smirked; an amateur mistake. Before he could react, she rolled out from behind the building and fired her pistol. He whirled around to get a look at her, then fell over.

She breathed a sigh of relief, then saw that she was out of ammo. Just then, someone came up behind her. On instinct, she wheeled around and threw her now useless piece at her assailant, knocking the gun from her hands and stunning her for a second. Taking the opportunity, Relena swept the girl's legs out from under her before scooping up the gun and putting a round into her assassin-turned-victim. She took a second to take a couple of full clips from her fallen foes before retreating back into a nearby storefront.

********************

Duo Maxwell let out a low whistle. "Wow, damn impressive for only a couple of months of informal training."

In the control room, four of the young men once known as the Gundam pilots were watching their friend's performance on closed-circuit television. Trowa nodded approvingly. "I take it throwing the gun was something you taught her specifically."

Heero swallowed the sip of coffee in his mouth before replying. "Even if you run out of bullets, it can still be useful."

"Did you teach her how to pop a broken bone back into place?" teased Quatre.

"She wanted me to, but I said no because it takes a lot more training...and I suspect she just wanted to gross Maxwell out."

Duo smirked. "Thanks."

"I only stopped her because that's my job." By the look on the Perfect Soldier's face, it was impossible to tell if he was joking or dead serious.

Trowa chose that moment to interrupt. "You know, she's doing pretty well for someone who only touched a gun once in her life...especially in the City."

The City was the affectionate nickname that Preventers agents gave to the proving grounds that were home to the final test of potential agents' gunplay skills. The five-mile cube, contained nearby Preventer's L1 office, was designed as a mock-up of a downtown setting. After being tested for at the firing range, trainees were brought here to see if they could differentiate between suspects and civilians in the heat of the moment. Then came the final test: all the potentials were handed vests and laser-tag pistols and sent into the City with instructions to be the last one standing. One hit, and you're dead. This final test was intended to be the ultimate test of shooting ability and concentration under pressure. Twenty potentials were sent in each time; the ten who were "killed" first were dismissed, while the two who lasted the longest were assigned leadership positions for the remainder of the training.

The guys stopped their friendly conversation when they saw Relena make a dash across the street. She felt a brief, almost electric flash run through her body, then spontaneously leapt behind a nearby car. Punching up another camera, Trowa saw the cause of her action: one of the other trainees had taken up a sniper's position on top of a nearby building.

"It also says something for her skill when she can see bullets coming."

The braided teen scoffed. "Oh please...this isn't one of those movies, Trowa."

With a faint smile, Trowa replied "Then explain how she dodged a sniper's shot from ten blocks away."

Duo fumbled for a reply, and the others simply shook their heads and went back to the action. A navy-colored object darted out from behind the car and was immediately riddled with lasers, but the telltale buzz that accompanied a kill was missing. The would-be sniper blinked in confusion and stood up...only to be taken down. Checking another camera, they saw Relena hiding behind the car, a wicked smile on her face and very little on her body. She reached over and pulled the mannequin, clad in her jumpsuit, back to her. In the control room, Heero lightly slapped Duo upside the head.

"OW! What was that for?!"

"You know what you did."

"Hey, I wasn't the only one looking at her," he said while casting accusing glances at their two friends.

"Maxwell, she already had one physical. She doesn't need you giving her another...or would you rather your fianc?e found out about this?"

Duo froze; that one comment had instilled in him the Fear of God...or rather, Fear of Hilde. "Sorry, sorry!"

After only a momentary pause, Trowa filled the silence by asking "So...she doesn't wear a bra?"

Heero shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder about that girl."

"Hey! How come you don't smack him?!"

Quatre rubbed the back of his head nervously. "You were the only one who was drooling, Duo."

The rest of the session was relatively uneventful. After avoiding a similar decoy and finishing off the two remaining trainees, an airhorn sounded and the twenty met in the central park. Their supervisor, Zhang Wu Fei, rose from the park bench he had occupied during the training and looked them over. "Not bad. Miss Nakajima," he addressed Relena, "the use of a decoy was...creative."

A couple of the males looked as if they agreed, but that wasn't the sort of thing you said to the Iron Master, as the rather harsh Zhang was known. He ran a tighter ship than most drill instructors; if Wu Fei told you to jump, you had better damn well jump as high as your bony legs would let you, then take the abuse for it not being high enough. Despite all this, Relena cleared her throat for attention.

"...Yes?"

She looked the Chinese Gundam pilot straight in the eye - which impressed some of the other recruits greatly - and spoke up. "To be honest, sir, the training has one major flaw."

Back in the control room, the guys groaned in horror. The second Wu Fei had been told who "Reiko Nakajima" actually was, he got one of those looks on his face. It was the sort of look he had worn before launching into one of his famous "Justice Rants (tm)", as Duo referred to them. The last thing Relena needed now was to cross him. Sure, he was harsh on the rookies, but they still suspected that there was some personal animosity between the Pacifist Princess and the Fierce Dragon. Give him any excuse, and she was out.

Wu Fei put his hands on his hips. "And that flaw would be..."

"Well, to be frank, the assumption that everyone uses the same kind of gun. In a real-life situation, you aren't going to be able to raid everyone for clips. It would make more sense for there to be five or six different kinds of guns so that the chance of finding compatible ammunition would be more realistic."

Duo choked on his coffee. "She's questioning the City! You don't question the City!"

"Relena..." Heero ground her name out through clenched teeth. "Don't piss him off."

Back in the "park", Zhang looked at her seriously. "That's true, but there's an issue with that. An agent is expected to be responsible enough to take plenty of ammunition with them on missions. The City is simplified, but if you can't work out the difference between training and reality then you shouldn't bother applying."

Satisfied with the answer, Relena nodded. "Understood. Sorry for the interruption."

The guys in the control room let out a collective sigh of relief. "Thank God he didn't kick her out then and there," Quatre said.

Trowa finished calculating the results, then turned on the microphone. "We have the assignments. Nakajima leads Team Alpha with Seabrook, Luciano, Brogan and Heinz. Masters leads Team Bravo with Perez, Halia, Archer and Jennings. Everyone else is out." He switched the microphone off and leaned back in his chair. "Congratulations, she's the top scorer."

Heero shook his head. "I didn't teach her anything except the basics of hand-to-hand, gun combat, piloting and hacking. The rest she just picked up on her own. She's really sharp."

Quatre rose to his feet and dusted the doughnut crumbs off his tan suit. "I'd love to stay around longer, but I don't think I can keep passing these friendly visits off as extended lunches. I'll see you later...just be sure to let me know how she does." With that, he left.

Into the silence, Duo interjected a question: "What now?"

Heero looked over at his teammate seriously. "After the supplementary training, she gets put through the final test..."

********************

"So, Mister Yuy, how did I do?"

Heero continued typing away at his laptop as a pair of slender arms wrapped around his chest from behind and Relena's face came over his shoulder. "Well?"

"You did alright" was all he said.

After a minute of silence, she pulled herself away and flopped down on the sofa. He finished his work and looked back over at her. It was plainly obvious that she was mad at him, but right now he didn't know if it was a better idea to go and talk to her or to let her cool down. Hoping his guess was right; he went over to sit with her. "Relena, I..."

She frowned and stretched her legs across the length of the sofa. Sorry, this couch is reserved for people who aren't being complete and total assholes."

He sighed and started back for his room. "Never mind, forget I even bothered."

"Heero..."

"No, sorry, complete and total assholes aren't allowed, remember?"

She sat up and looked at his retreating form. His weak reply had hurt her, but seeing him unhappy hurt more, since she knew it was her own fault. Rising from the couch, she headed for the bathroom.

Heero lay back on the bed, staring at the ivory ceiling. Had he made a mistake agreeing to this? She had already changed so much; in the month since she had become "Reiko", her personality had become the polar opposite of Relena's. Flashy, sarcastic, even quick to anger...this wasn't the woman he loved. For a while, he had even wondered if she HAD died in that explosion, only to give birth to this new girl. He knew that was absurd, but something still felt wrong...

"Heero?"

He sat up at the sound of her voice. To his wonder, she wasn't in her usual sleeping clothes, a black tank top and gray sweatpants. Instead, she was wearing an elegant white silk nightgown with spahgetti straps and lacy fringe. It was one of the only articles of clothing she had her brother bring back from the mansion. Even more surprising, her hair was back to its natural light brown.

"Relena?"

"...Yeah." She shut the door and went over to him, her step less lively than normal. She sat on the edge of the bed, a slit up the side of the nightgown revealing her shapely leg.

"You're not wearing your usual pajamas," he observed.

"No."

"And your hair..."

"Yes?"

Heero put his arms around his knees and looked into her pale violet eyes. "Relena, why?"

She slid closer to him and set her hand on top of his. "Heero, I..." She sighed. "I'm sorry, I know I've been acting strangely lately, but this is the first time in my life that I've actually been able to be something other than Relena Peacecraft, and I like it. I'm sorry if I hurt you...I didn't mean to."

"I know you didn't, it's just..."

"What?"

Remembering her actions earlier in the day, he looked out the window at the star-streaked night sky. "...There have been times where I wonder if you're not another person entirely. The way you act, sometimes I'm not sure this was a good idea."

She sighed. "I'm sorry, I just...I don't even know anymore. Would you rather I went back to my old life?"

He closed his eyes, resisting the urge to look at her again. "I want you to do what makes you happy. But...it's like you're not the woman I love when I see you do things like you did today."

"I...I'm sorry. It's not like I planned on doing that. It just came to me off the top of my head."

He shook his head, then glanced at her. "That's not all. You swear...you hit people...you act, to be perfectly honest, a lot more crudely than you used to. It's like you're not yourself anymore."

She met his eyes, her face deadly serious. "I'm not supposed to be."

"I know, but when I see Reiko, I feel nothing. When I see you like this, I remember why I fell in love with you."

"I don't want to lose you. It's just...maybe this wasn't a good idea. I did this so I could be near you. You know that."

He nodded. "I know, but is this what you're really like? Are you telling me that Reiko has been hiding behind Relena since she was a little girl, and your real personality is what I saw in the City today?"

"No...no, I just...I think it's just all the pent-up frustration of having so much responsibility at such a young age. I mean, come on, Princess of my own nation, Queen of the World, then Vice-Foreign Minister all by 16? All that pressure...do you understand what I went through?"

He rose to his feet, shaking his head. "No, I don't. And I suspect I never will. But all I can do now is support you in whatever you chose to do. And if that's what you want to be, then I'll support you."

She stood, put her hand on his cheek and met his eyes once more. "I want to be with you."

"And I want to be with you...but I don't love Reiko, I love Relena. If that bothers you, then I'll leave."

"No...I don't want you to leave. I guess I should tone it down...I've been pretty extreme. I just don't want to lose you."

She started to look away, but he put his hand under her chin and lifted her head to look at her again. "I want you to succeed...but I think it'll take Relena's sharp mind and Reiko's iron nerves together to do so. I don't want you to chain yourself to your titles, but at the same time I don't want you to become a totally different person. You should figure out who you really are and become that person."

"Then help me. Please?"

"How should I help you?"

"Just stay with me..." She leaned her head against his chest, reassured by the warmth and the constant, steady beat of his heart.

********************

"So, what do we know about the final test?"

Relena looked over at her teammate. Clarice Seabrook was one of the three trainees who Wu Fei had put under her command. The fourth, Alley Brogan, had quit after getting into a shouting match with the Chinese pilot. She took a second to make a mental appraisal of Clarice. The young American girl's freckled face was framed by short, curly brown hair, and her brown eyes revealed that she was the playful, mischievous type like Duo. Although she was comparatively inexperienced, she had done quite well in the City test because she was more than willing to get a bit dirty. Relena smiled inwardly; something told her that they would get along just fine.

"Nothing really, Masters's team failed...I heard him bitching about how it was impossible, but he said that he wasn't allowed to reveal any particulars."

"Oh, forget Draco. He's a former Alliance soldier who thinks he knows better than us 'dumb kids'." This came from Mya Luciano, the Italian woman who reminded Relena very much on Noin. She brushed her black bangs out of her dark purple eyes and continued. "I'm glad the windbag got taken down a couple of notches."

The last member of their team, Kyp Heinz, spoke up. "I heard from some of the Preventers that this test isn't supposed to be solvable. It's just meant to be a field test to see how we function as a team."

"Well," said Relena as she stood from the break room chair, "I guess we'll find out just as soon as Zhang throws us into the fire."

"...Which is right now."

The four trainees turned to see their supervisor standing in the doorway with a set of manila folders in hand. He passed one to each of them, then lead them down the hallway that lead to the City. Once they entered the artificial city, the five of them jumped into a mobile command center and started off. All eyes turned to Wu Fei, and he began speaking. "Your briefing is in those folders. You have two hours to complete the mission within these parameters. Oh, by the way..." Here a sarcastic smirk crossed his lips. "I'm sure you've heard from the others that this mission is impossible. Well, since this is more a test of your ability to perform in the field than anything else, you shouldn't get all broken up if you fail. Good luck."

Zhang parked the command vehicle some distance from their objective, then climbed out and walked towards the large building. Relena fought back the urge to swear when she saw it; tall white walls, baroque styling, a distinctly royal flavor...it was the Peacecraft mansion.

Clarice was the first to open her file. "Damn...terrorists are holding Relena Darlain's birthday party hostage...with a nuclear device?!"

"...I think there scenario needs to be updated," Kyp mused dryly.

Relena shook her head and sat back down. "No, she gave permission. Besides, it wouldn't seem as real if it was a fake person, would it?"

"I suppose not."

Mya grimly leafed through the document. "So there are about twenty of them to the four of us. Odds are the bomb is somewhere far away from the shelter so they can hide out without being affected by their own weapon. They took over the security cameras and the guards change out every hour. On top of that, we have no idea where they're keeping Miss Darlain and the other hostages. And of course, we're not allowed to let anyone die, especially Miss Relena."

Clarice smirked. "So...can we switch sides?"

Relena ignored the joke. She wondered whose smart idea it was to make this final test. Whoever it was, she would bitch them out later. Right now, there were more important things to do. She pulled the floor plans of the mansion out of her dossier. "Alright, let's get our priorities straight here. We need to neutralize the security system or we've lost before we leave the gate. I'd bet anything that they're keeping the hostages somewhere near the bomb..." Here, she pointed at the servants' rooms. "...Probably here, since it's a fair distance from the bomb shelter. They might even have Darlain in another room because they don't want her doing anything like getting the others to try and fight back. Besides, if the plan sours, they might try to grab her and run off so they can try again.

"Here's the plan so far: number one, neutralize the security system; number two, take out as many guards as possible; number three, get the hostages to safety; number four, deal with the bomb. Any volunteers?"

********************

The guard in the monitor room was bored. These things were the same every time. To be honest, it was pretty amusing the few times that the trainees made kick-in-the-door entrances, only to be gunned down quickly. He especially enjoyed watching them try to sneak through the halls, like they were playing some kind of video game. It brought a dark grin to his face when he recalled all the times he had ratted out the would-be ninjas and seen the looks on their faces when their vests gave off the "death buzzer". Not to mention...

His thoughts got no further. Mya pinched the nerves at the base of his neck, sending him into unconsciousness. She dusted herself off, then set to work on the computers. A faint smile lit up her face; although she wanted to be an archeologist, she had always enjoyed the computer programming classes at college. After a couple of minutes of hacking, she had picked out a five-minute section of footage that featured only mundane action: nothing but empty hallways, with a terrorist coming by occasionally. She set the monitors to loop that footage continuously, then deactivated the perimeter security and pulled out her communicator.

"It's done. Now it's your turn. Me, I'm getting out of here.

With that, she stood on the chair and climbed out through the removed ceiling tile she had come in through.

********************

Kyp was not happy. Since they didn't receive any scuba equipment with their mission gear, he, Clarice and Reiko had had to swim through the gap in the rock that held the mansion above the grotto. Normally, he would have been more than happy to hang around a pair of wet-clothed girls, but Reiko had shooed him away so that they could change, reminding him that they were on a time limit. He waited for Mya's signal, then darted through the corridors of the mock-up mansion.

Currently, he was in a guest room in the mansion, dressing in the uniform of the terrorist he had knocked out. Unfortunately, this guy had a few extra pounds on him, so Kyp had to belt the multi-pocketed pants rather tightly. He hoped that he wouldn't be obvious...the last thing he needed was to be the reason they failed. After making sure the guard was securely bound and gagged, he peeked into the hall to make sure nobody was nearby. He took a few circuits of the halls, making sure to peek into every room he passed by. Ten minutes of searching finally turned up their location: they were in the grand ballroom, crowded around and looking nervous. When he looked in, the "hostages" pretended to be angry with him. They weren't going to win any awards, but what the heck, it added to the realism.

Immediately, he noticed that Relena Darlain was nowhere to be seen. He had seen TV images of her from before the party had been captured and had memorized her appearance. But nowhere among the huddled massed could he see the subdued white dress she had been wearing. He continued searching, and was rewarded some time later when he saw her in one of the servant's rooms. She was tied to a chair and there was a bag over her head, but the dress - and the figure - made it unmistakably clear who she was. Remembering the plan, Kyp wandered over by one of the other guards.

"Could you cover for me? I have to find a bathroom."

The terrorist nodded. "Sure." He began his own patrol as Kyp headed for the largish restroom he had seen during his search. Locking the door securely, he pulled out his headset communicator.

"I found them," he whispered into the mouthpiece. "Everyone except Miss Relena is in the ballroom. They're keeping her in one of the servant's rooms and under heavier guard. Should I go retrieve her?"

Reiko's voice was the one that came through the almost muted earpiece. "No, I'll take care of her. Keep us posted, okay?"

"Roger that. I'm out." Stuffing the communicator back into his pocket, Kyp reached over and flushed the toilet before walking out of the room. If you're going to fake it, you may as well go all the way, he justified to himself.

********************

Relena crept through one of the castle's side hallways. Every once in a while, she darted into one of the rooms she came across to avoid detection. After receiving Kyp's message, she and Clarice had snuck into the study through the tunnel that connected it to the grotto. From there, they had split up: Clarice was going to find the bomb and diffuse it, robbing the terrorists of their main weapon. In the meantime, while Mya and Kyp took out more guards, she would try and secure the hostages. Easier said than done, but that's what she was there for.

She found the main ballroom and all the hostages quickly; after all, only her brother knew the mansion as well as she did. However, there was a guard in the room. He started to cry out, but she swept his feet out from under him and he hit his head on the ground, knocking him out. She motioned the frightened people to be silent. "Don't worry, I'm with Preventer. I'm here to get you out."

The people breathed a collective sigh of relief upon hearing that. Relena went over to the wide windows and opened them up, then helped the people climb out one by one. Once they were all safe, she headed for the servant's quarters. She had a princess to visit...

********************

The terrorist leader remained cool. He had of course noticed that some of his men were missing, and that the cameras had been dismantled. That didn't worry him. He was used to this; he had seen it a thousand times before, with more and more trainees. He waited for their big move with the patience of a tiger stalking its prey.

He was rewarded five minutes later when the metallic clicks and buzzes of a laser-firefight began echoing down the hallways. He took up a defensive position and saw his men getting mowed down rapidly. These kids were good. They knew how to find cover and keep the enemy pinned down. They began rapidly progressing down the hallway despite the fact that there were only four of...

With a start, he realized that there were only two trainees coming down the hallway. Thinking quickly, he pulled out the detonator switch for the nuclear bomb and pressed the bright red button. Instead of the warbling sound that was supposed to signal the bomb going off, he heard a faint beep that indicated the weapon had been deactivated. Quickly, he turned back to his remaining men.

"Hold them as long as you can! I'll handle the hostages!"

Without waiting for a reply, he made a mad dash for the ballroom. Kicking the doors open, he was shocked to see that everyone was long gone. For the first time, he became frustrated. They weren't supposed to be doing this well. He ran for the room where they had locked Darlain up in. As he kicked the door open, he saw one of the trainees bent over the back of the chair, untying the Vice-Foreign Minister. With a malicious smile, he fired his laser pistol, setting off Clarice's jacket and "killing" her. He strode over to the captive princess and leveled the gun at her.

"Not a bad effort, but it's still game..."

*BZZZZZZZZZ!*

He froze in shock. Darlain's hand was held out, a pistol shoved right into his gut. He stumbled backwards as she stood from the chair and removed the bag from her head, revealing flame-red hair.

"...You?"

Relena - the real Relena - smiled at the defeated commander. "If the leader goes down, we win. Nothing personal, Zhang, but I play to win. Are you alright, Clarice?"

"Ow...I bumped my nose on the ground when I fell."

The young woman giggled and helped her friend to her feet. "You'll be fine."

Mya and Kyp came into the room a second later, grins on their faces. Relena looked over at Wu Fei, who had removed the mottled bandana from his face. "Well?"

Letting out a frustrated sigh, the Chinese Preventer threw the bandana to the ground. "You passed the last test."

The four trainees cheered.

********************

"Well, you've done it."

Relena couldn't keep herself from beaming with pride when she heard Lady Une say that. It was a week after the final test, and all the paperwork had finally gotten through. Now, she stood in the Preventer leader's office, wearing her new uniform: a green, short-sleeved button-up shirt with a black tie and a navy skirt that hit an inch above her knee. Also gathered were the five Gundam pilots (Quatre had actually managed to get the time to come by), her brother (who looked pleased in spite of his earlier protests), Noin and, of course, Lady Une. The older woman picked up a navy jacket from the desk and walked over to the former politician.

"Miss Reiko Nakajima..." Here she allowed herself a small grin. "...Rather, Miss Relena Darlain, you have completed the training regimen with some of the highest marks for a trainee ever. In addition, your quick and original thinking in the field test have shown that you have the keen mind of a commander and the heart of a true warrior."

She handed the jacket over, and Relena immediately put it on. Simply wearing it made her feel more powerful than she ever had in her pantsuits and royal gowns. As she adjusted it slightly, Lady Une went back to her desk and retrieved a photo ID, which she clipped over her left breast pocket. She stepped back to let everyone get a look at their newest ally.

"Welcome to the team, Lightning."

Ignoring the applause, Relena threw herself into Heero's waiting arms and kissed him passionately. She knew deep down inside that today was the happiest day of her life.

[takisha16]

I read this story before on FF.net but this revised version rocks!!
I always imagined Relena more of a preventer than a princess or as the VFM.
I loved how you kept Heero in character and made Relena so daring and different from the usual 'damsel in distress' fics.
Kudo's for your muse, may she keep inspring you always!
I can't wait to see the next posting, I really liked how you portray Relena's and Heero's relationship, maybe they'll get to be partners in incoming missions
keep it up!

[perfectpeach]

im loving the very original plot in this fic. i it has to go on. during the test i thougt she?d end up having an enounter with theb old her. that would have been scary. but, i need thenext chapter asap.