</p><p>This chapter and the next three are generally serious, "setting the stage" chapters coupled with a few 3+R moments (Trowa/Relena). I've got a LOT to wrap up, but I think everything fits together?eventually. I hope.</p><p>I'm currently rough-drafting the last chapter of the story with an epilogue to go. This addition (that you're reading) is the 2nd half of chapter 30; I have 4 chapters after this rough drafted, a start on #5, and then my epilogue is currently in a state of transition in my head.</p><p>I am in the process of moving to a new house and am currently out of town for a business trip. (pulls up calendar) I'm going to target the next chapter being up by October 22, 2005. If I can get it complete before then, I will. Thanks so much for reading! Love, Rose</p><p>PS ? Lieutenant Mwu LaFllaga appears courtesy of Gundam Seed ? though, not with his or his creator's permission.</p><hr size=1 width=100% noshade><p><b>Chapter 30B</b></p><p><i>"Your new assignment starts at 0400 Sunday." Une's voice sounded crisp and like it was dripping with battery acid. "You will report in to Preventer Headquarters, building A, unless you plan to pursue a discharge."</i></p><p><i>Heero scowled at his superior. "No. I'll be there. But I will only accept an assignment that involves the Vice Foreign Minister's safety." He squared his shoulders and stared at the wall behind the Colonel's head.</i></p><p><i>"I think that can be arranged."</i></p><p>-</p><p>Heero stepped into the grave-like Preventer building at too early in the morning on Sunday, and marched directly into Colonel Une's office. He knocked once and shoved open the door. She didn't even glance up from her desk when he entered the room.</p><p>"Biometrics," Une said.</p><p>Heero nodded.</p><p>The Colonel flipped a page in the folder on top of her desk. "You'll report to Building C room 235."</p><p>"Isn't that a lab?"</p><p>Une flipped another page in the folder. Her brown hair formed a shield that prevented Heero from seeing any of her features.</p><p>"If you define a room full of monitors and tracking equipment as a laboratory."</p><p>The former Gundam pilot rolled his eyes towards the ceiling and heaved a sigh. "It's an application room, not an office or a research facility. Therefore, a lab."</p><p>"Then, yes. It's a lab." She snapped the folder shut and looked up. Her face seemed pinched; bags darkened the skin under her eyes. "You'll be part of the biometrics team overseeing security of the Vice Foreign Minister's trip on L4." She glared. "Your mission, as well as the other five people on this team, will be to monitor the audiences at each one of the minister's public appearances, and notify the security team if you see any suspicious behavior or you can identify any known or suspected criminals and terrorists. Is that clear?" Her lips formed a razor-thin smile.</p><p>Heero took a deep breath. "For how long?"</p><p>"You'll be assigned a shift." She placed both elbows on her desk and steepled her hands. "Your assignment to this team will be for the duration of her stay on L4, unless there is reason to move y--"</p><p>"How long before I can go back to security detail?" Heero shifted his weight. He stared at his commanding officer.</p><p>The small, very small, smile fell from the Colonel's face. "Sergeant, that is not now nor will it ever be an option."</p><p>"How long?" Heero heard his voice rise as it left his throat.</p><p>Une stood up from her chair. She leaned over her desk. "What part of this do you not understand? Relena made it very clear?"</p><p>"She said she wants me to be happy." The Preventer glanced away. "I'm to find my 'happiness' or whatever, I don't give a shit. What I want to know is when I can go back to doing my job." He closed his eyes.</p><p>"And if you'd listen to the words that I'm saying?"</p><p>"I don't want to hear them. I want to hear when I can return to my job protecting her." Heero opened his eyes and glared at Une. "That's my mission, and I won't let you, or Preventer, or even her stop me."</p><p>The Colonel straightened her posture. She crossed her arms over her chest. "You're as stubborn as they come."</p><p>Heero nodded.</p><p>"I can't give you an answer." Une unfolded her limbs and sat back down in her chair. "Not the one you want, not the one you're looking for."</p><p>Heero felt his heart sink into his stomach.</p><p>"It's a shame, Heero, that you've never been able to understand why it is you're so adamant about protecting her. Why the thought, now, of being kept away?"</p><p>"She's my responsibility. I promised her?"</p><p>"She's more than that." Une's head snapped up. Her eyebrows drew together into a sharp point just above the bridge of her nose. "And until you figure that out, the answer to when you can go back to your duties will be what it is now: NEVER."</p><p>Heero turned away. "I will?"</p><p>"You won't. Because you swore to protect her, you will have to protect her from the one person who hurts her most, and that's yourself."</p><hr size=1 width=100% noshade><p>Relena laid her head back against the cushions, thankful to be on solid ground again, instead of a shuttle in the middle of space. Those flights always made her a little on the queasy side, and besides?they were impossibly long. Even flying in a private shuttle like the one ESUN had allocated her, cramped her legs something awful. She could only imagine what it must be like for someone like Trowa - with legs, she swore, twice as long as hers.</p><p>"I'll be glad to get to the hotel." She spoke to the ceiling of the car; Trowa sat across from her in the back of the limousine. Wufei was up front with the driver.</p><p>"Are you sure you want to spend the three weeks there instead of with your hosts?" Her friend's voice still sounded strained. Relena wasn't sure why.</p><p>"Yes. I really?don't like to impose on anyone that long. And with us arriving ahead of schedule, it just makes the most sense, I think."</p><p>"You're avoiding people, and isolating yourself." He pronounced the words like a condemnation. Relena winced.</p><p>"Yes, but that is my prerogative, isn't it?"</p><p>"It's not good for you."</p><p>She sat up and stared at Trowa. "It's worse for me to have to put up a front for the next four weeks instead of giving myself time."</p><p>Her friend nodded once; his eyes closed, like he might let it rest, then opened them again. "I'll give you one point for that. But wallowing?"</p><p>"I won't be wallowing in my own misery, if that's what you're afraid of." She crossed her arms and turned her head to stare out the window. The L4 colony was sleek and geometric in its design ? as were all the colonies. And yet, it still felt strange to ride in a car?through what was, for all intents and purposes, an extremely large space station. "You're permitted to slap me if I even?"</p><p>"Relena, you know I could never hit you."</p><p>"It was a feeble joke, Trowa. You should know that?"</p><p>"Are you sure this is the right thing?"</p><p>She turned back to face him. "What were my other options?"</p><p>"You could have married him." This time, it was Trowa who looked away.</p><p>"Yes. I could have." An image of him ? sitting on top of his dresser while she slept in his bed flashed before her eyes. "And how would I be able to look myself in the eye every morning, knowing that I had forced him?"</p><p>"He's a big boy." Trowa's voice was sharp enough to cut through glass. "And he asked you. I don't recall you forcing him to do anything."</p><p>Relena went back to staring out the window. Buildings, steel skyscrapers rose out of the center of the colony. "You don't understand?."</p><p>"What don't I understand?" His voice was low. She thought he sounded hurt.</p><p>"Nothing. It's not important."</p><p>"You and I promised each other." She felt his hand on her arm, and looked away from the window. Trowa crossed the back seat to sit beside her.</p><p>"We would always be open and honest about ourselves." He found her hand and drew it into his palm. His skin was warm?.</p><p>"You made ME promise, and so I've told you?things, even when they hurt. Remember?"</p><p>She leaned on his shoulder and stared down at their hands. "It was different for you." Relena traced a finger over one of the scars that traveled up the inside of his arm. "It was survival. You needed?" She glanced up.</p><p>Trowa's dark green eyes met hers. "And you don't think this is just as?"</p><p>"I'm not going to hurt myself."</p><p>"Maybe you don't have the intention. But I've been there. This is where it starts - the isolation, the shutting people out." His brows furrowed together, creasing his forehead under his hair. "It seems harmless, now, but if there's no one?to help?"</p><p>She sat up and pulled her hand gently from his grasp. Relena moved closer to the door. "I slept with him. Is that what you want to hear? I went over to his apartment on Thursday night?and we?." Her throat burned and she felt like she might choke on the words. She finished with: "He took me back to the house the next morning."</p><p>"And you think you forced him that night?"</p><p>"I went to him." She rested her forehead against the glass. It was cool, comforting? "When it was his choice, he didn't come back until after I was asleep? At the time, I thought something happened. But, the more I think about it, maybe he didn't?"</p><p>"He was desperate to sleep with you, Relena. He couldn't figure it out and it drove him crazy - why he wanted to, when that was not something he should be after."</p><p>"Then?" She lifted her head and looked over her shoulder at Trowa. He was staring down at the floor of the car, his arms and legs crossed.</p><p>"None of this fits together."</p><p>"I don't see why you're trying to fit it together." Her friend's voice was back to that low monotone that wasn't quite whispering, but wasn't always completely audible, either.</p><p>"Heero is emotionally distant, and has been since I've known him. At first, I envied that about him - he could shut down the feelings that I tried to kill, but never could." He closed his eyes. "After the war, though, I just?It's sad he can't move on."</p><p>Relena's heart squeezed out of turn. She placed her hand on his arm and said in a gentle voice: "The way you have, Trowa?"</p><p>He glanced up from the floor; one corner of his mouth curved up. "I never said I was a good example, either."</p><i><hr size=1 width=100% noshade><p>'Biometrics Facility. Building C, Room 235.' Heero opened the door and stepped inside. A tall man with short blond hair and tan skin stepped forward. The former Gundam pilot presumed this to be his new commanding officer - at least for the time being. Heero saluted.</p></i><p>"Welcome. I've been expecting you. At ease."</p><p>The former Gundam pilot dropped his arm. "Lieutenant La Fllaga."</p><p>The Lieutenant raised an eyebrow. "Sergeant. The Colonel informed me this morning you've been assigned to our team of biometrics specialists." He turned and led his new recruit further into the room. "Just for a little background, we are the team that oversees all the Vice Foreign Minister's speeches, travels, and public functions. We have other, larger teams assigned to cover public activities for members of the ESUN Congress and Senate." He spoke as he continued to pace forward, half turning every so often to make eye contact with the Sergeant.</p><p>"Smaller teams of about two or three have been placed in charge of high-ranking government officials. I'm proud to tell you that Miss Darlian has not only the largest team of specialists assigned to protect her, but she also has the distinction of being the only person assigned a specialty biometrics team in every nation on Earth as well as each space colony." He paused in the middle of the vast room. The Lieutenant turned around. "And our team is responsible for coordinating all those efforts."</p><p>Heero nodded. If he couldn't be within a mile of 'her location' as Colonel Une had said, then this would be the next best thing.</p><p>The Lieutenant held up an arm and gestured to the several mainframes and dozens of monitors set up in front of a large control room setup ? with rows of long tables set up in arc formations, complete with dozens more monitors and strange-looking joystick-like controls. Three agents sat along one of the tables, doing?whatever it was they did. A thick binder rested on the end of each one of the tables.</p><p>"You could say that our operation is the master control center; we control the flow of information even to her assigned guard detail."</p><p>"I'll give ya a twenty if he does." A male voice cut into the conversation.</p><p>"Hey." Lieutenant La Fllaga barked at the Preventer agents over his shoulder. "Quiet over there."</p><p>"There's no way." The female agent with short, brown hair spoke.</p><p>"I'm telling ya."</p><p>"Did you hear me?" The Lieutenant spun all the way around. "I said to quiet down. We have a new member." He stepped aside and gestured at Heero. "Kids, this is Sergeant Yuy. He's been assigned to our team as of this morning."</p><p>Three pairs of eyes turned from the monitors; the Preventer agents stood and saluted. Heero returned the gesture.</p><p>"Good. Now, get back to work."</p><p>La Fllaga put a hand on his shoulder and steered him away from the others. "You understand what it is we do, right?"</p><p>"I was aware that Preventer had a biometrics division. I'm not aware of the scope or procedure of your operation."</p><p>"I see. But you understand the basic principles of biometrics."</p><p>"Yes." Heero clasped his hands behind his back and recited the definition: "Biometrics is the study of biological data to map features and identify people, specifically criminals and terrorists, but also, from time to time, victims of crimes such as kidnapping - especially in incidences where the victim has been missing for an extended period of time."</p><p>The Lieutenant's mouth turned into a half-smile half-grimace. "I believe that's as near as textbook as you can get."</p><p>Heero shrugged.</p><p>"Our operation coordinates with the on-site staff and special convoys dispatched to the Vice-Foreign Minister." He glanced back in the direction of the agents at work. "Their job is to go to every venue, every site, every location before the minister gets there, splice into the closed-network security system and set up shop, so to speak." He turned his gaze back towards Heero. "They'll use the monitors and as much of the onsite equipment as they can, but they have to split the signal and beam it to the Preventer satellite, which sends it directly here."</p><p>The Sergeant frowned as he tried to calculate in his head. "What's the lag time on that?"</p><p>"It's sent as light, not radio waves, so we're not too far behind. Image is about three seconds, sound's a little longer - about ten or twelve."</p><p>Heero glared at his commanding officer. "That's a long time."</p><p>La Fllaga brought both his hands up in a helpless gesture. "Granted, being on the colony would be a better choice, but the autonomous governments don't like Preventer sending biometrics experts up to their territory. They have their own?"</p><p>"What about the Confederacy?" Heero unclasped his hands and began to pace. <i>' Ten to twelve seconds. In that amount of time, Pagan could get in and get a round off. If the bullets weren't blanks.'</i></p><p>"Can't they override the decision?"</p><p>"The Confederacy is weak." The Lieutenant pronounced the words like it was a doctor's final diagnosis. "It has been weak. It will be weak for quite sometime." He shook his head. "They can't override anything. L4, for instance, has its own standing army, and they're in charge. It's all we can do to send the escort we do have with her."</p><p>Heero crossed his arms. "I see."</p><p>"It's better when she's here on Earth. There's virtually no lag time, and we send part of the team on site wherever she goes."</p><p>"Hn." <i>'Since when?'</i></p><p>"Your shift begins at ten hundred every day, Tuesday through Saturday. You'll have Sunday and Monday off, at least for this first rotation. After the L4 trip?"</p><p>"I'll be going back to my regular duties."</p><p>The Lieutenant's eyebrows disappeared beneath the fringe of blond hair that fell over his forehead. "I'm afraid that's not what I was told. The Colonel's note said you'd be a permanent member of our team. Is that not correct?"</p><p>Heero grimaced. "It's my understanding that this is only temporary."</p><p>"Hm. I'll have to contact 'her majesty' about that. She's been a bit strange about this whole thing. First, she told me that we weren't budgeted to have another person - when I asked for additional personnel. Then, out of the blue, she sends me a note saying that she approved my request, and she would be sending your file over." He glanced at Heero. "I could put you on any of my teams, and she suggested I send you to Alaska or New Zealand. But when I read your file? " La Fllaga frowned. "Your highly classified file with black marks through every other sentence, I decided I wanted you here. The only other file I've seen with that much black ink was Agent Barton's. And I don't know what he did before this, either."</p><p>"I was assigned to Zechs Merquise and Relena's personal team of bodyguards. That's all you need to know."</p><p>"Yes. I know." La Fllaga sighed. "So, as I was saying, your shift will be from 1000 hours to 1930. You?"</p><p>"And we rotate, correct? So, other agents cover the hours before my shift and after."</p><p>"It's a twenty-four hour rotation, if that's what you're asking."</p><p>"I'm tellin ya, he will." The male agent's voice from before pitched up in volume and interrupted their conversation - again. "Tonight. I'll bet on it."</p><p>Heero shot a glare over his shoulder ? in the direction of the other agents ? and silently willed them all to develop sudden and permanent laryngitis. "How many are assigned to each shift?"</p><p>"The evening shift has no requisite personnel. It's all on a volunteer basis."</p><p>"Fifty bucks says Barton tries something." The agent spoke again. Heero continued trying to ignore them.</p><p>"Volunteer?"</p><p>"Yes." La Fllaga shot a black look at his subordinates. He glanced back at Heero, then quickly returned his attention to the other agents. "But don't worry; we don't have any problem getting enough people to cover that shift."</p><p>"There's no way," the other male agent shook his head. "Barton's never going to make a move on her."</p><p>"Why not?" The female agent asked.</p><p>La Fllaga clenched his hands into fists and grumbled. "These guys over here think they're watching a soap opera."<br>
"He makes a move on anything female. He had Rogers making special trips to his bed inside of a week." The agents continued.</p><p>Lieutenant La Fllaga looked Heero in the eye. "Since Miss Darlian isn't usually on the move at night, there's typically not a lot of 'watching' to do other than the security cameras in and around her hotel room."</p><p>Heero scowled.</p><p>"We're talking about the Vice Foreign Minister?" One of the male agents spoke again.</p><p>"Yeah, and she's a healthy adult female," the girl said. "She's gotta have needs. A guy like Barton makes a move?"</p><p>La Fllaga whirled around and stomped in his subordinates' direction.</p><p>"What, on you?"</p><p>The agents erupted into laughter.</p><p>"Get back to work." The Lieutenant stood in front of the monitors and pointed to the agents' stations. "You're not making a good impression on the new guy."</p><p>The agents scurried to find their seats. La Fllaga moved away ? back towards Heero and the center of the room.</p><p>"I find this unprofessional." The Sergeant crossed his arms and glared at the group of 'BioMet Special Agents'.</p><p>"They are human." La Fllaga shrugged. "It's only natural to find something of interest in the work you do. Do you want to try to whip them into shape?"</p><p>"Hn."</p><p>"Hey!" The Lieutenant tilted his head towards the ceiling and called out over his shoulder. "Mr. Morale over here says you guys should behave like professionals."</p><p>"Up yours, Sarge." A voice responded.</p><p>La Fllaga cleared his throat. "AHEM. I happen to agree with him."</p><p>"Sorry Lieutenant." The female agent replied.</p><p>La Fllaga shook his head. He moved over to the edge of the nearest table and picked up a binder. The Lieutenant held it out towards Heero. "Here's our operations manual. I don't have anything for you to do today, so, read it, memorize it, show up on Tuesday for your first shift."</p><p>The Sergeant took the manual from his superior.</p><p>"The Minister has a luncheon scheduled for approximately 1100 our time, so that will be the highlight of your day." La Fllaga crossed his arms and leaned back against the table.</p><p>Heero tucked the binder under his arm and turned away. He stepped towards the door.</p><p>"Oh yeah. One more thing."</p><p>Heero stopped and returned to his previous position.</p><p>"You can take a look at these."</p><p>One of the agents had moved from his earlier position and handed a file to Heero.</p><p>The Lieutenant continued. "The autonomous government of the L4 mining colony gave us these photographs. You can scan and map their features to the Watch List database to match against during the luncheon and her other speaking engagements."</p><p>The agent turned and walked away.</p><p>"It's kind of busy work, and these guys have been a bit resistant to do it, but for you - you'd get to see what specifically the computer looks for in a match. A good introduction to the field."</p><p>Heero nodded again and stuffed the file into the binder. Remembering himself this time, he raised his arm to salute his new commander.</p><p>The Lieutenant extended his hand. The Preventer stared at it.</p><p>"I don't get an ego trip off the rank and file around here. I'd like to be friends with my agents, if I can."</p><p>Heero dropped his arm and shook the Lieutenant's hand.</p><p>"Welcome aboard, Sergeant."</p>
Be nice to him, Rose. He doesn't get enough victories (outside the bedroom, heehee!)
