Final Mission Status: Chapter 10 (no, i'm not kidding!)

[zapenstap]

Words: 9,415 (really? wow...)
Story Summary: To buy time for the Preventers to organize a strike against a deranged terrorist, Relena must participate in a mission. For one week, in a house wired with cameras, Relena must pretend she is married... to Heero Yuy.
Chapter Summary: The day that Relena must choose has arrived. The real mission begins!
Previous Chapters: Here at BI, <a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/s/16 ... on.net</a>, <a href="http://zapenstap.livejournal.c ... ournal</a>


Notes: I'm aware that it has been a LONG while. What can I say? My partner in writing was eaten alive by the Harry Potter fandom (my fault: I bought her the first four books). I waited for a while, rather patiently if you ask me, and then got absorbed into the Naruto fandom, for which I have been writing essays in my Zapenstap Livejournal. I also got a job--writing professionally.

My partner has abdicated from this project btw. I've been telling people that I will finish it, though, and I wasn't kidding. There are 3, maybe 4 chapters left, including this one. It is all outlined. And here I give you chapter 10. At long last. With 11 and 12 (and maybe 13) to follow. Please review if you would be so kind.

I don't know if people even read for this fandom anymore, much less this story, except that I still get reviews for it, so I figure someone is still interested. Please don't be bashful! Let me know what you liked so I can do more of it. Don't ask me to write in Heero's POV, though. That would ruin the story ^_~.



Final Mission Status

Chapter 10

By Zapenstap


Relena opened her eyes as sunlight streamed across her face. Her bedroom curtains hung slightly open and light trickled through the glass panes of her window?a narrow beam of gold that crept slowly up the tousled covers of the bed with the rising of the sun.

Relena inched her head away from the light and found Heero?s shoulder with her nose. The smell of his skin washed over her, a sweet, somewhat musky smell that she breathed in deeply. She shifted toward him and felt the tangles in her hair, mussed from rough treatment between Heero?s fingers and the sheets.

It was morning, the morning she must choose between Heero and Cole?theoretically. In reality, it was the last day of the mission; the last day she would spend as Heero?s ?wife.?

She turned her head on the pillow. Heero lay with his face turned toward the ceiling. He looked restful, one hand lying still on his chest and the other stretched out between their bodies, fingers curled slightly in rest.

He had seemed so?amorous last night, but she supposed that was only natural. She couldn?t trust what it meant, not with all the unexpected things that had happened. There were so many variables, and Heero?s heart was the hardest of all to pin down. Her own heart felt fragile, like blown glass, or the shell of some papier-m?ch? globe.

?Heero,? she whispered in his ear, and touched him gently on the shoulder.

She had to shake him awake. He opened his eyes groggily. They were heavy-lidded with sleep, and he shut them again immediately against the sun. He grimaced into the light that played across his face, and she could almost hear his muscles groan in protest as he turned his back to the window and toward her.

He opened his eyes.

?We have to get up,? Heero whispered. His eyes were so blue. ?I?m taking you to the airport.?

?Which airport?? she asked.

?Military. Private jet.?

She wanted to say more. She felt that there was so much more to say, but before she had time to process, he swung himself off the bed.

?Get dressed,? he said. ?I?ll make coffee while you take a shower.?

He did just that, leaving Relena alone to get ready for her ?wedding? day. For a few minutes she didn?t move. The bed that was hers and Heero?s was too comfortable, and once she left it, it would never be the same again. She mourned the loss for a few minutes. Then she shoved back the covers and got up. The games were over. This was it.

After showering, she stood for a while in her walk-in closet with just a towel around her body, wet hair combed through, unable to decide what to wear. How should she look on the day she chose between Heero Yuy and a psychopathic terrorist as her lover and husband? Professional? Sweet? Sophisticated? Seductive?

She settled on a mix. She elected to dress in a pair of light summer dress pants, flat-soled shoes, and a white collared jacket with a stylish high cut. Underneath the jacket she wore a sleeveless silk shirt in a soft pale green that brought out the color in her eyes and clung to her skin when she moved.

Heero came in while she was doing her hair in front of the vanity. He offered her steaming black coffee on a saucer. She took it without speaking, still having no words to say and wishing to conserve her emotions as much as possible. He hovered close to the back of her chair, watching her pull the flat iron through her hair, but didn?t touch her. As soon as she set down the flat iron and lifted the coffee cup to drink, he nodded and removed himself from her presence to use the shower.

From their brief time living together, Relena predicted that Heero would be showered and dressed before she had finished her hair.

She was right, but he surprised her in how he dressed for the day. Heero emerged from their shared closet in a pair of pants and a long-sleeved black shirt with no trim or collar. As Relena pinned her hair and watched through the mirror, Heero knelt on the carpet and pulled a chest out from under the bed. He opened it in the middle of the floor, revealing a weapons stash that Relena had had no idea was in her house. She stopped what she was doing and stared as Heero pulled a heavy charcoal gray vest from the chest and slung it around his shoulders?she assumed it was bullet-proof?and then packed a handgun, magnum clips, a box of bullets, and several other things she didn?t glimpse long enough to recognize into various pockets and hidden nooks around his person. He adorned the Preventors leather jacket last, obscuring the rest of his gear.

When Relena finished straightening the last strand of golden brown hair, she put her arms through the sleeves of a white designer trench coat and cinched it around her waist with a silk tie.

She looked expectantly at Heero. He looked back. They were a mismatched pair.

?Ready?? Heero asked her.

She stared at him for almost a full minute without answering. What surprised her wasn?t the feeling of alarm or discomfort, but a profound urge to coax him back to bed. He looked so? dangerous, and yet it was his control that allured her. She knew what he was like, had felt how gentle his touch could be, and also how rough, but always controlled, even when it was feverish. She shook herself, as if waking from a dream, and nodded her assent.

It was time to go.

Heero drove Relena to the airfield in a car that had been rented for the occasion. Once they were alone in the car and headed toward the airfield, Heero spoke to her. There were no cameras.

?Relena, about last night.?

Her heart almost stopped.

?It wasn?t my intention to take advantage of you,? he said. He kept his eyes on the road. His tone was completely neutral.

?You didn?t,? she said hurriedly. ?I? it was pleasant.?

?Yes, but that?s not my point. I may have gotten carried away. Yesterday was an emotional day for me.?

She didn?t know what to make of that. Emotional? She had felt it, even if he didn?t show it or talk about it, but she didn?t think she meant the time he spent with her. Looking at him, she could almost see it in his eyes. There were all those reporters, followed by Dorothy?s betrayal, and then she had been crying, and with today being so important?

?What are you saying?? she asked.

?I don?t want you to get the wrong idea. I don?t want to hurt you. Our relationship is a professional one, and right now I?m focused on our objectives. Last night? it was the right thing to do given the circumstances. Une approved it. Still, I got a little caught up in the moment. You seemed willing, but it occurred to me this morning that maybe it wasn?t fair.?

Relena swallowed hard and whipped her head around to stare at the road ahead. She didn?t say anything at first, not for several long moments. It took all of her will power to stifle tears. ?That?s fine,? she said. Her voice came out cool, but she had to clench her jaw shut before more could escape. She watched the tires eat up the road, counting the divider lines that flashed beneath them on the highway.

They didn?t speak again until they arrived at the deserted landing strip where a plane awaited them on a runway devoid of all other aircraft. They parked the car and walked to the landing stairs. Relena walked a few feet in front of Heero, gathering her composure and wrapping it around her like a shawl. From this moment forward she would have to keep her wits about her and focus on what was important. Just like all of her business. It was personal?all of it?but she couldn?t afford to make it personal to her. Fortunately, she had experience compartmentalizing her emotions where work was concerned. By the time they reached the plane, she was in her diplomatic mode: polite, but professional.

Relena boarded the private jet with Heero coming up behind her. They were met by Zechs and Wufei Chang.

There was no one else.

?Who?s flying the plane?? Relena asked as she ascended the landing stairs and ducked into the main cabin behind the cockpit.

?I am,? Zechs replied. ?Cole was very clear about this exchange. You are allowed three bodyguards?to protect you from the ?masses,? as he put it?and no one else. We will have communication with headquarters until landing, but as soon as we join Cole?s people we?ll be on our own.?

Relena sat down in one of the seats in the passengers? cabin. She was starting to feel the immediate danger in all of this, and how awful it could be if anything went wrong. Against that, it was almost easy to push aside what Heero had said in the car.

Zechs disappeared into the cockpit. Heero sat beside her. Wufei Chang glared at Heero from across the narrow walkway, arms crossed and hair slicked back to keep it in place throughout the duration of the mission. Relena wondered in a moment of flushed self-consciousness if Wufei had witnessed any of her and Heero?s lovemaking.

?Where?s my bike?? Wufei demanded angrily.

Heero glared back at him, almost devoid of expression. ?I took it back this morning.?

Wufei?s scowl subsided only slightly.

Relena blinked. ?This morning? When??

?Before you woke up.?

She hadn?t noticed at all. He hadn?t awoken her.

?But??

?I had to be seen leaving the house,? Heero told her. ?So did you.?

?Didn?t you notice that all the reporters were gone?? Wufei said.

She hadn?t noticed. The ordinary never seemed out of place. ?So???

?We have a decoy in place pretending to be you,? Wufei told her. ?And another pretending to be Heero at a separate location. Your secretary is aware of the switch, and obviously your appointments have been canceled. We cited the paparazzi as the reason. As far as the world is concerned, you are holed up in your office today. You should see your building. There?s quite a crowd. It was difficult getting a look alike in position and getting Heero out.?

?I must have gone to work early this morning,? Relena said vaguely.

?Five a.m.,? Heero told her.

She did a quick calculation. She and Heero hadn?t really gone to sleep until one or two in the morning. That gave Heero less than three hours of sleep. She had had many days like that, but still. No wonder he?d had such difficulty waking.

?We need to get going,? Zechs?s voice alerted them through the intercom. ?Strap yourself in. It?s not a short flight, but thanks to the change in time zones, there should still be some daylight by the time we reach Nevada. Heero, Wufei, you?ll need to brief Relena before we land.?

The plane?s engines revved and whined into life. The rumbling under Relena?s seat synced with the unpleasant sensation in her stomach. She had been dreading this moment since first being summoned to Preventor headquarters and learning that some psychopath she had met once wanted to force her into marrying him?in exchange for not saturating the North American continent with dangerous nuclear radiation, of course. She had maneuvered through a lot of negotiations throughout her career; some of them had been dicey with tempers poised to provoke violence, but usually a rational thought and calm voice was enough to encourage talk and compromise. However, madmen were not rational, and judging from what she knew of Cole, she did not think remaining calm would keep him from doing something crazy.

?I suggest you eat something and rest as much as possible,? Heero told Relena.

Relena nodded absently. She could eat. She may not taste anything, but she would force herself to down at least a few bites. It would be a long flight after all.

Heero sat unmoving in his seat beside her as the plane gathered speed down the runway. Relena looked out the window, watching the scenery whirl past and then drop below as they lifted noiselessly into the air. Gradually, after several minutes of steady climbing, the plane leveled and the roar of the jets muted to a gentle hum.

?What is the plan?? Relena asked. ?My brother asked you both to brief me. I would like to know what to expect.?

?We?re going to land in the Yucca territory,? Heero told her. ?Cole has been instructed to provide us with a vehicle, which we will use to reach Cole?s compound in the mountains. His estates overlook the site where the nuclear waste is being held. Although we would prefer not to be so close to Duo, it can?t be helped. Cole built his home there on purpose, and wouldn?t agree to a neutral location. We?re relying on Duo?s stealth.?

?A man who builds his dream house on top of a pile of nuclear waste to ?guard it? is a special guy,? Wufei interjected wryly. ?Tells you a little about the state of his sanity right there, doesn?t it??

?We?re fortunate he allowed us to bring armed guards to protect you,? Heero continued to Relena, ignoring Wufei?s remarks. ?He will meet us at the gates, and from there you are supposed to make your decision.?

Relena felt a most peculiar feeling in her stomach as Heero spoke about her ?decision? between him and Cole.

?He will probably try persuading you,? Heero added. ?He?ll emphasize his power and anything else he thinks will get your attention. We?ll accept any offer he makes to try to impress you. Within reason, of course.?

?What am I supposed to say when he asks me to decide?? Relena asked.

?You will choose him,? Heero replied.

Relena?s mouth went dry.

?The longer you stall and agonize over it, the more time Duo and Sally?s and Noin?s teams will have to secure the area,? Wufei added. ?We will need that time, but you can?t hesitate too long without making it look suspicious. If necessary, we will put you in a white dress and go through with the preparations for a ceremony.?

?I am not marrying Cole!? Relena gasped. ?How am I going to get out of there??

?We?ll expect him to have at least two armed guards with him as well,? Wufei told her. ?We?ll buy as much time as possible for Duo and Sally to secure the nukes. Noin?s team will close in around the perimeter and wait for a signal from Duo.?

?A flare bomb,? Heero informed her. ?It should already be set up.?

?Won?t Duo be in direct communication with Noin?? Relena asked.

?No. Duo?s team will have internal communication, but no far-reaching signals that can be picked up by the enemy. The flare is a bomb that can be detonated through a remote access trigger on Duo?s person. There are two, one to indicate completion of the job, and another to let Noin know that something has gone wrong.?

?Once Duo has completed his mission, Noin?s team will take command of the compound and Cole?s estate,? Wufei continued. ?We won?t be in communication with them directly either. If all goes well, Noin will close in, take over the compound, and apprehend Cole and his men before they know anything is amiss. Whatever else happens, Zechs, Heero, and I will ensure your safety and get you out of there if we need to. Your job is to entertain Cole as long as possible and follow any orders we give you.?

?I understand.? Relena couldn?t think of anything else to say. When Heero unbuckled himself from his seat and brought Relena a bagel and a glass of orange juice from the refrigerator, she accepted them and ate without resistance. He watched her consume every bite. It didn?t escape her that he didn?t eat anything himself.

Hours later (she slept fitfully through part of it), the plane landed on a deserted military airfield in Nevada. There was nothing to see for miles around except desert terrain, shrub grass, cactus plants, and mountains. When Relena emerged from the plane, a dry, hot wind blew her hair in her face and jostled her clothes.

An abandoned car awaited them on the field with keys in the ignition. It was a black luxury sedan with a leather interior. Wufei drove. Zechs sat up front. Heero sat with Relena in the back with his arms crossed. The trip was mostly silent, but the quiet was not relaxing, and Relena found it difficult to enjoy even the red-gold beauty of the desert scenery.

Cole?s estates were expansive. Apparently he had managed to buy up all of the land in Nevada that once belonged to the US Government. From the moment they passed into his territory, Relena felt the change. No one lived here. It used to be a nuclear testing site and there was still an eeriness clinging to the dry rock. She couldn?t help counting the miles of empty desert road they had to travel just to get to Cole?s living residence. If for some reason they needed to escape this place, they would not be able to do so by running. They saw few other vehicles on the road, and what houses they passed earlier on were singular in nature, some abandoned, and the rest probably owned by men under Cole?s command. Everything else was just red-rock desert.

Eventually they turned off the highway and followed a narrower road up into the mountains. It was a strange location for a residence, and Relena began to feel a bit like a lamb being led to the edge of a cliff, at least until the tires of the car found paved concrete and they made the final climb to the summit. Then she felt more like a lamb led to an altar to be sacrificed.

?Is that his place?? Zechs asked.

?Looks like it,? Wufei muttered.

Cole?s estate was a resort nestled against the mountain like an eagle?s nest. He had gone to great expense to terra-form the surface of the summit to suit his structural needs. Aesthetic additions had also been made. Desert palm trees had been imported to a yard that also sported a green lawn, a private golf course, and a manmade pond filed with decorative garden fish. Other than the mansion, there were no other manmade structures for miles.

The view of the desert was breath-taking. It spread out in all directions in never-ending plains of rock, shrubs, and hollow basins and cliffs that carved up the earth. Red mountains broke up the blue sky on all sides and seemed to incubate in the heat of the sun. If not for the knowledge that this complex had been built on top of stores of nuclear waste as the home of a crazed terrorist, Relena may have found it peaceful, even inspirational, though not a place she would choose to live.

The car pulled up to black iron gates that circled the compound and blocked their entrance from the road. Two mercenaries were stationed at either side of the entrance, each holding an automatic weapon in two hands.

?I wonder if that?s supposed to make us feel better about Relena?s safety,? Wufei muttered. Zechs coughed. Heero didn?t say anything.

The guards seemed to be expecting them. Wufei stopped the car and lowered the window to speak with them. One of the guards glanced in the backseat. He seemed to recognize Relena. She kept very still, hoping her expression was unreadable, and returned his gaze coolly.

The guard waved them ahead and the gates opened to admit them. They rolled through slowly, following the paved path to a driveway where six or seven cars?all expensive European models?were parked in an otherwise vacant lot. Wufei parked the car on one side of the driveway and turned around to look at Heero and Relena.

?Are you ready, Princess??

Relena nodded. Heero was checking his guns. She heard the click of metal and refused to look in his direction. She knew there might be violence, as much as she hoped against it. Cole was crazy, and even if they secured this place completely, he still may not just surrender. She did not want to see Heero kill anybody, but she had to assume that he might have to. Her hands felt cold.

?We?re cut off from everyone now, aren?t we?? Relena whispered. ?No intercoms? How do we know when???

Heero shushed her with a gesture. ?Don?t worry. I?ll make sure nothing happens to you.?

Looking into his eyes, noting the seriousness in his voice, she wanted to tell him what she really thought, but the words would not come. There was no time anyway. This was not the place for emotional display, and she didn?t want to break Heero?s concentration. Their relationship was professional. She had to concentrate on her part in all of this.

?I?m ready,? she said.

?Then let?s go meet your future husband,? Wufei said.

They got out of the car.

*****

William Cole was informed of Relena?s arrival the minute her private jet touched down at the airbase. Keeping with the agreement he had made with the Preventors? leader, he had sent a car to the location with keys in the ignition, but no personnel. The deal he had struck with that Une woman was that he would give his future bride her privacy until she arrived at his residence. She would be allowed three armed guards to protect her, and he would make sure he conducted himself in a gentlemanly fashion. Cole did not object to this, because he felt it made sense that a woman of Miss Relena?s beauty and stature would be protected by armed personnel at all times. Once she became his wife, he would be sure to continue providing such service. After all, he didn?t want anyone to hurt her either.

When the car he had sent pulled up to his estate, Cole was in his study, smoking a cigar and calming himself with a glass of scotch. He was dressed very stylishly (he felt) and he had already checked his appearance in silver-gilt, full-length mirror half a dozen times. He still had a full head of hair, and although it was gray, he felt he maintained a youthful appearance. His body was also well toned. Since deciding he wanted to marry Miss Relena, he had worked out every morning. He wanted to make sure he could keep up with her. He had heard that young women these days were very amorous, and though he was a gentleman of the finest caliber, he had every intention of seeing that her needs were met.

Especially since that man had touched her again last night. Cole had to admit that the fellow must be married to Relena. After careful thought he determined that a sweet flower such as she would never dirty herself before marriage?especially with a common soldier. It upset him that that man had managed to convince her frail young heart that he was worthy of her affections. Clearly, he was beneath her, but young women had to be forgiven their poor judgment. After all, they were such delicate, flighty creatures; if they didn?t have men to think for them, they would naturally get into all kinds of trouble.

Cole would rescue her from such a fate. He wanted to be a father figure to her?of a sort. He had heard that young women fancied men like that, especially young women who had lost their own fathers in a tragic fashion. He would be her protector and provider.

It was therefore with great pleasure that he welcomed her arrival. He watched from the window as a tall man with long blonde hair let Relena out of the back seat. The blonde man looked strangely familiar, but Cole couldn?t remember where he had seen him before. The Chinese man, Cole ignored entirely. But when that man emerged from the car, Cole found himself fingering the handle of his gun. He reasoned that if all else failed, it wouldn?t take much to make Miss Relena a widow.

Cole?s men met Relena and her escort outside and directed them indoors. Cole watched from his study while Relena?s escort was asked to disarm one at a time and be searched for any communication devices they might use to betray him. It was also a method of making sure that no unauthorized weapons were brought into his house. After all, he had to be somewhat prudent. Once every man was searched, they were given back their weapons and welcomed inside. Now he would know what each man was carrying.

One of Cole?s servants knocked politely on the door of the study. ?Sir, they are ready for you now. What would you have us do??

?Make sure the priest is ready,? Cole said. ?When she chooses me, I want to be prepared. I don?t want to wait a moment. Is the honeymoon suite prepared for my bride??

?Yes, sir.?

He clapped his hands and laughed heartily. ?I?ll be right down.?



*****

Wufei wasn?t sure what he had been expecting from Cole. He had been watching tapes of Relena and Heero on and off for days with a very detailed understanding of who this guy was and how he might interpret the same events. However, knowledge and experience were two different things.

Put simply, Cole was a madman.

He waltzed into his study wearing a grin like a schoolboy. He wore loafers, a polo shirt, and golf pants. He seemed to be in shape for his age, but his hair was a shock of gray.

He entered his sitting room surrounded by two stiff-faced, armed guards, the sort that were hired out of bars and paid in cash to do just about anything. They carried their weapons like they knew how to use them, but it was the way a child wielded a hammer?recklessly, and with barely restrained glee. Wufei had no doubt that any one of them would shoot on command without hesitation?perhaps even before command.

He kept a wary eye on the guards as Cole waltzed through the door. Meanwhile, he was also looking out for Relena. She stood beside Heero, as was appropriate since she was supposed to be married to him. Heero put a hand on her shoulder when Cole entered the room. When Heero whispered something in her ear, Relena?s eyes widened momentarily, then relaxed.

Wufei assumed that Heero had said something ?husbandly? that had momentarily startled her. He had been doing a lot of that lately for the camera. Wufei suspected that Heero took his role as Relena?s husband very seriously and assumed the guise moment to moment regardless of whether or not he was on camera, as actors sometimes did for movies. Wufei wondered if all that acting was messing at all with Heero?s worldview.

After all, he hadn?t turned Relena down the night before. Zechs had been livid when Wufei reported it, and only Une had been able to calm him down enough to keep him from barging into Relena?s private home and throwing Heero out on the street. Everyone wanted to know what Heero was thinking. Une reported that when Heero rendezvoused with Zechs this morning after putting the doubles in place, he had told Zechs that they would discuss the matter later, but that he hadn?t forgotten what Zechs had told him. Wufei didn?t know what they were talking about, but he assumed it had something to do with Relena. Heero explained his actions by stating that the situation seemed ?right? but wouldn?t elaborate as to whether it was right for Relena or for the camera. Zechs had been grinding his teeth all morning.

Now, Relena and Heero behaved almost like strangers. Relena stood beside him, but there was a distance in her eyes, and although he touched her familiarly and spoke in her ear, they did not look like all was well between them.

Wufei supposed that was just as well, considering how important it was for Cole to feel encouraged. When the man walked in, Wufei was mildly impressed by the way Relena smiled when she saw him. Her whole face lit up like a lamp, and she stepped forward?out of Heero?s reach?to greet him. She raised one of her slender hands for him to take and he kissed it as if they were attending some sort of old-fashioned party. Somehow, Relena managed not to show either fear or disgust. Heero kept his arms crossed and did not interrupt.

?My dear, it is lovely to see you again,? William Cole gushed as Relena took back her hand. ?I suppose you are all up to date on everything??

?Certainly,? Relena replied.

?I have been informed that you are already married,? Cole said. He sounded a little like a pouting child.

Relena cleared her throat. ?Yes,? she said. ?Newly, but I have come to hear what you have to say. When I heard of your proposal, I thought?. Well, I thought you must have something extraordinary to show me.?

?Indeed!? William Cole laughed. He grabbed Relena?s hand again and pulled it under his arm so that she was forced to walk in lock-step beside him. He patted her hand like an adoring grandfather. Relena glanced over her shoulder as he directed her toward the hallway.

Her expression radiated slight alarm, which meant that she certainly understood the danger of the situation and was playing along according to her role. Wufei had to give her a little credit as he, Heero, and Zechs followed Cole and Relena out of the parlor and into the hallway.

?I have a great deal to show you, my lady.? Cole said happily. ?I have prepared a tour. I hope you don?t mind??

?Not at all,? Relena replied. ?I would love to see the grounds.?

?How wonderful. I am pleased that you are thinking ahead. Naturally, you would want to be acquainted with your new home. I have also prepared a chapel.? He beamed at her like someone senile. Relena smiled a little uncertainly back at him. ?I brought up a Catholic priest from the city to perform the ceremony,? he continued. ?Are you Catholic??

?Um.?

?If you?re not, we can have you baptized. The priest would be willing, I am sure. I suppose you will want to have a look at the altar??

?Well, I?yes,? Relena said faintly.

?And the honeymoon suite??

?Hmm,? she replied.

Wufei followed behind the pair of them, listening to the conversation with barely concealed scorn. Zechs flanked Cole?s other side, keeping an eye on his two guards.
Heero flanked Relena on her left, occasionally shooting Cole dangerous looks, which the old man didn?t appear to notice. Wufei noticed Cole looking at Heero only once, smirking as if in triumph.

Cole gave them a grand tour of the premises. His estate boasted well over 100 rooms, he claimed, but of what they saw, most of them were empty of anything but useless furnishings and artwork of varying skill. There was a lot of dusty wicker furniture and more than a few French antiques. They walked up and down four flights of stairs until Relena said she was winded and had to beg for a moment?s rest. Cole made much over her ?feminine delicacy.? Wufei wondered if Relena was really winded or if she merely pretended to be for the sake of buying a bit more time. Either way, it worked to their advantage. Duo and Sally should be disarming the detonators at this very moment.

Eventually they arrived at the chapel room. It was a ludicrous sight. Cole had turned a conservatory on the highest floor of his estate into a tiny church, complete with six rows of pews. In the front of the room was an ugly little stage with an even more hideous life-sized crucifix fixture secured to the wall behind an altar. The bronze figure of a crucified Jesus lacked pious intent. It was cheaply made, and seemed an obscene witness for a wedding.

Relena ?oohed? and ?ahhed? over it. She touched the back of the pews with a lingering hand and exclaimed over the beauty of the stained-glass windows (which actually were quite nice). She made a fuss over the red carpet aisle between the pews. She asked about the history of the chapel.

A skinny, balding little man stood in the corner, hunched over himself in a chair like a sack of potatoes. Wufei had to look twice before he realized the fellow was a priest, evident only by his white collar. His clothes were otherwise rumpled and stained, and he had a nervous look in his eye like a hunted rabbit. Wufei wondered where Cole had dug up this sorry excuse for a religious leader and what he had used to convince the man to preside over this mad ceremony.

?Well?? Cole asked Relena after he had answered her questions and she had made a slow, languishing lap around the room. ?Are you ready, my love??

He gestured to the priest.

Wufei thought Relena?s smile may have slipped, but she recovered momentarily and tossed her hair back.

?Oh, not quite yet. I?d like to see the ?um? honeymoon suite first. If that?s all right.?

?Of course!? Cole said with a tone that was almost like paternal indulgence. Relena flashed him her teeth and shrugged her shoulders in a gesture of feminine submission.

Wufei couldn?t wait to see the honeymoon suite. He could only imagine.


*****


Duo was sweating in his gear.

He and his team of five all wore workman?s uniforms in desert colors with matching brimmed hats to protect them from the sun and hide their faces. They all wore bulletproof vests under their jackets as well, and every man carried at least one gun in a holster. Every man or woman, rather. Sally was the only woman, but she carried the biggest guns slung over both shoulders: two automatic rifles, one for herself and one for Duo when the time for stealth was at an end and it came time to defend their positions or make an escape. Duo was hoping for the latter.

Sally walked beside Duo in the tunnel, her hair split into two braids, one behind each ear. Dirt smudged her face, but her eyes were bright and peering alertly into the darkness as they descended. Duo remembered when she was taller than he was, but he was the taller one now, not that it would make much of a difference if they were discovered.

Getting into the tunnels beneath Cole?s mountain compound had been one of the trickiest maneuvers had had ever pulled. First he, Sally, and their team of four additional men? two stealth soldiers and two bomb specialists from the Preventors? EOD unit?had to make their way unobserved from the airfield across the desert using satellite imaging and stealth and relying heavily on their equipment to cloak them and detect hostile entities. Once they reached the mountains, it was all they could do to keep from being discovered.

The mountain was not unprotected. Cole had guards at every tunnel entrance, all armed with automatic and semi-automatic weapons. Some were professional mercenaries whom Cole probably paid extremely good money to stand watch over the place. Duo had counted at least a few dozen guards, higher than the numbers had been a day ago. It was more than enough to keep them on their toes, but not enough that they could hope to impersonate them without being discovered. These guys lived alone out here and they all knew each other. Duo?s team couldn?t afford to be seen.

Sally and Duo had crept around the perimeter twice before deciding on a plan. Sally discovered a smaller entrance that must have been used by excavators when the tunnel was originally dug. They studied the change of the guards and the communications between them carefully so as to know how much time they would have between shifts. At most, it was a couple of hours.

Around the time Relena was due to arrive at Cole?s compound, Duo and Sally?s team made their move. They rushed the guards at the excavation entrance, drugged them with chloroform, and relieved them of their communication devices and weapons. Duo ordered his two stealth soldiers to stay behind to guard their escape route and impersonate the men on the intercom if the need arose. So far the plan was succeeding, but now came the really tricky part.

Duo hadn?t spent much of his life underground. The tunnels were dark, lit only by an occasional electric torch and their own lamps. Even in the desert, the walls sweated this far below the surface. The nuclear repository was least a thousand feet deep underground. They moved slowly and quietly through the tunnels, following the excavation tunnels and hoping that they didn?t run into an unexpected patrol. Every sound echoed alarmingly, and they paused at intervals to check the blueprint schematic and get their bearings. The last thing Duo wanted was to get his team lost underground while Relena was in negations with a madman above their heads.

The deeper they went, the more suffocating the mountain began to feel. Duo imagined the thousands of feet of tuft rock and ash piled over his head. It took a psychological trick to keep him from wondering what would happen if that mountain collapsed on top of them. If Cole didn?t get his way, he could easily blow these tunnels to bits, and the nuclear waste would spill out into the desert and soak the land?not to mention the water supply?in lethal radiation.

?Look,? Sally whispered. ?I think we?re here.?

They had emerged from the excavation tunnel to what appeared to be the main tunnel. It was a great deal wider, with rows of railroad track laid upon the ground. The tracks ended where they emerged. Just beyond the end of the tracks was an iron rail separating the current tunnel from a sudden drop into a black pit. Near the pit was some complicated-looking equipment Duo surmised was used to remotely lower the nuclear canisters into the cavity.

?There?s also a stair,? Sally said, noting Duo?s gaze and raising her lamp to point out a rickety aluminum ladder that lowered along the wall into the blackness below.

?Great,? Duo breathed. ?I don?t suppose anyone else wants to climb down first??

?Don?t look at me,? Sally smirked. ?You?re the stealth expert.?

Grumbling, Duo took the lead. It was Sally?s job to manage the weapons and keep a lookout. It was his job to make sure his specialists could do theirs without encountering resistance. If there were any guards hiding in the pit, it would be Duo?s responsibility to neutralize them. He shimmied down the ladder with the speed and quiet of a mouse.

Once in the pit, Duo raised his lamp and assessed the situation. As Une had predicted, there were seventeen canisters of spent nuclear waste in Cole possession. Each canister was roughly twenty feet wide and just as tall. They stretched into the darkness in a silent, deadly row. All of the canisters were packaged in man-made containers and sealed to prevent corrosion, but even just sitting there, they looked unstable. Unfortunately, they weren?t just sitting there. Each was rigged with a detonation device seen clearly in the light of Duo?s lamp.

?Wonderful,? Duo said. How long would it take to dismantle seventeen bombs? If just one went off? No matter. They just had to get it done as quickly as possible.

He made a thorough search of the area, poking into every shadow someone might think to hide in. It was surprising where a man could hide if he knew what to look for, and Duo was adept at finding all of the spots. Fortunately, it seemed that no one had been assigned to stake out the pit. However, that meant that there would be frequent patrols into the area, especially today of all days. They didn?t have much time.

He alerted his bomb specialists that it was safe to come down. They made their way down one at a time, each carrying a pack of equipment that they would use to dismantle the explosives from any outside trigger. Duo himself wasn?t a bomb expert. Although he was familiar with the EOD unit, he wouldn?t trust himself to do their job.

?How long do you think this will take?? he asked them.

?Until the last one is done,? the senior of the two replied. ?We?ll keep working on them, one to the next, but we can?t be hurried. That?s how mistakes happen.?

Duo nodded. ?Start now and keep going. I?m going up top with Sally. We?ll watch your backs and keep the enemy occupied if they show up. Once you guys get started, I?m guessing you can?t exactly stop, so keep working, no matter what. The most important job right now is the one you?re doing.?

He left them below and climbed the ladder to stand beside Sally. She kept scanning the tunnel from side to side, her fingers fidgeting uncertainly near the handle of her gun.

?I suggest we hide,? Duo said, ?and keep a lookout for patrols. If anyone gets close to our guys, we?ll be able to do more for longer from the shadows.?

She smiled wryly at him. ?I?ve already staked out a spot.?

Sally handed Duo one of the automatic rifles. He took it with a grunt and allowed Sally to show him the position she had staked out for herself on one of the tunnel. Duo found a similar cranny on the other side, a nook protected by a slight bump jutting out from the wall on the side of the tunnel. They could see each other from their respective positions, and although Duo couldn?t see directly down the tunnel on his side, he could see anyone that might approach Sally?s position and vice versa.

They both pressed back against the shadows to wait, Sally standing and Duo hunkered low to stagger their levels. The silence was occasionally broken by the scrapes and mutters of the bomb specialists working in the pit. Duo could hear the men?s conversations through the communication unit in his ear, but he didn?t dare talk to them while they were doing their work. Every once in a while, feedback would come through the earpiece, alerting him that a container had been safely disarmed. He kept count with each success. One. Three. Five. Seventeen had never seemed like such a high number.

At nine, he heard voices coming down the tunnel.

?They?re here early,? Sally?s voice whispered in Duo?s earpiece. ?Way too early. The shift isn?t supposed to change for another half hour at least.?

The sounds of the bomb specialists working below stopped as she spoke.

?Keep working,? Duo reminded them just as quietly. ?Whatever happens up here, you have your job. Don?t stop for anything.?

He kept his eyes peeled ahead, focusing on his job, hoping the discipline of the squad would hold.

?Eleven,? he heard the bomb specialist whisper as yet another container was disarmed. Almost on top of him, the other specialist whispered, ?Twelve.?

?Here they come,? Sally whispered.

Duo didn?t want to kill anyone, but he supposed he might have to. He closed his eyes briefly and forced his leg muscles to push his back up against the wall. The automatic rifle swung on its strap as he adjusted the line of sight of the weapon to meet the oncoming target. He looked over at Sally. The enemy was getting too close. They would have to engage. She nodded.

?Get ready to fire,? Sally whispered, as much to the benefit of the bomb experts as to Duo.

The shadowy figures pacing down the tunnel came within range. It was definitely a patrol, and they were definitely Cole?s men, but the patrol wasn?t small. There were a lot of them. Too many to hold off for long.

?Hey! I think someone?s been down here.?

The men in the tunnel began to run toward them, pistols drawn. Sally and Duo took aim. The color of Sally?s hair caught the light of the lamps as she twisted her torso slightly to target the lead runners.

Gunfire erupted from both sides almost simultaneously. At the first sound of automatic weapons being fired, Cole?s men ducked for cover, pressing against the sides of the tunnel walls and crouching behind anything that might lend some protection. Duo attempted to control his firepower so as to shoot only when he might hit a target. They only had so many rounds, but even so, they had to keep up an almost constant barrage just to make sure no one would brave an attempt to blitz past them. As soon as the ammunition ran out, Duo knew that he and Sally would be overwhelmed. As it was, just the two of them could hold the tunnel, for a while anyway.

At least, that was what he thought until his weapon jammed and his violent attempt to dislodge the bullet caused him to lose his footing. Skidding on the loose pebbles, he slid momentarily out into the open. He scrambled for purchase, crab-walking back to his safe position behind that bit of earth wall. He panted, still fumbling with the trigger on his gun, and was just about to think how fortunate he was when a stabbing pain tore through his left thigh. He dragged his leg in closer, wondering if a bullet had targeted him or if it had ricocheted off the walls. He grunted with the effort it took to flex the muscles in his leg enough to pull his knee closer to his body and tried to keep his focus on the target despite the overwhelming pain.

?Fifteen.?

Duo?s rifle was still jammed. Nothing he did seemed to free up the mechanism, and blood was soaking his pant leg. Sally was still shooting, but it wouldn?t be long before their assailants became braver. Casting the rifle aside, he pulled the semi-automatic from its holster. His head was swimming from the pain in his leg as he struggled to get into a position where he could aim. Blood was staining the khaki pants a muddy red-brown, but he didn?t have time to worry about that.

Duo breathed heavily, fingers clenched around the handle of the gun and finger poised on the trigger. He reached into the open and shot once. Twice. Again. Given his position, aim was almost secondary. He would be lucky to hit anyone, but it was more important to hold them off as long as possible. Two more canisters to go, and then he could alert Noin that the job was complete.

He had the trigger for the flare ready. It was all set up to go off remotely. And then her team would move in. They should have the perimeter surrounded by now, but once they were able to advance.... His free hand fumbled in his shirt pocket.

Sally cried out. He heard her rifle clatter on the ground and saw it skid across the dirt between them out of the corner of his eye. Duo turned his head to look, gritting his teeth.

Sally had been compromised. Somewhere between the time he had been shot and the time it took him to switch from his automatic to the handgun, the enemy had moved in. A brute man with thick arms held Duo?s partner by the hair, her arms locked behind her so that her body looked painfully strained in the darkness. She looked as mad as a badger, but not one in a position to bite.

Duo?s thoughts scattered. He thought briefly about Hilde, and then about the weapon still in his hand.

?Put down the gun, Duo Maxwell,? a female voice called contemptuously from the shadows. ?Or we?ll kill Sally Po.?

Gritting his teeth, Duo took aim at Sally?s captor, right between the eyes, and squeezed the trigger. Dead air. He had no bullets left.

He really was the unluckiest son of a bitch in the universe.

A face appeared to match the voice that had spoken. Dorothy Catalonia strolled into the light of the orange electric torches, decked out in a military uniform embroidered with the Romafeller insignia and her family crest. Her blonde hair gleamed like gold in the light of the lamps, and even in military gear she carried herself with a degree of grace and cunning that made Commander Une look safe. By the way she smiled at Duo, she must have been expecting them.

?I?ll take it from here,? Dorothy said. There was a wicked smirk on her face and a predatory sparkle in her eye. ?I have a few questions for Mr. Maxwell and Miss Po.?

?Seventeen.?

Duo whipped out his best grin. ?You got me, lady,? he said as disarmingly. He raised his hands slowly, as impishly as he knew how, but not before he released the flare trigger. Miles away, a signal was lit, alerting Noin that the mission had been completed. He grinned all the harder. It was almost funny. ?Go ahead and kill me.?


*****


Relena stared blankly at the honeymoon suite. It was like looking at the inside of a jewelry box, the sort her grandmother kept on doilies in her mother?s old estate. The bed was a king-sized four-poster with a white canopy. There were more pillows than any one person would know what to do with. There were no fewer than four mirrors in the room, two on one wall, and on the vanity an assortment of gaudy broaches had been scattered like leaves, including a sapphire the size of an egg.

There was one window in the room. It was on the wall opposite the hallway door and overlooked the golf course. Four vertical bars broke up the view of green grass and blue sky. The bars were made of gold. They were not just gold painted. Relena was pretty sure they were real, solid gold.

?Wow,? she said. There was a moment of silence as she took it all in. ?I don?t know what to say.?

?I designed it especially for you,? Cole gushed, and once again took her hands in his. He had dry hands, wrinkled and calloused like those of her great uncle. She thought of her great uncle whenever she looked at Cole. Her great uncle had gone to prison for tax evasion.

Cole stroked Relena?s fingers as he showed her around the room. They did a sort of promenade, like something in a country dance, while Cole explained to her all the exquisite properties of the ivory canisters, the mahogany furniture, the French lace, and the craftsmanship that went into the prison window.

Relena began to miss the stuffed hawk Duo had put in her study. She found herself saying things like, ?That?s marvelous,? and, ?How wonderful,? while inwardly fighting an urge to detach herself physically from this creepy villain and make a run for the desert. She would rather live with the rattlesnakes.

When Cole seemed to run out of things to say, Relena fumbled for questions to ask. She felt sure that he was waiting for her to either ask questions or accept his proposal, but she couldn?t think of anything to say that wouldn?t sound suspiciously false.

?Now, my dear,? Cole said warmly when Relena didn?t speak. He gestured for Relena to sit on the foot of the bed. She did so uncertainly, and only just managed to catch Heero?s eye as she settled on the fluffy white down comforter. He was watching her intently, just steps away if anything should happen. She relaxed and concentrated on what Cole was saying. ?I think we both know where this is going,? Cole continued, still in that smooth, warm tone that made the hair rise on the back of her neck. ?As you have seen, I have a lot in material assets to offer you. I?m sure you would agree that a life here would be most pleasant and painless. All your needs would be provided for. You wouldn?t have to lift a finger for yourself. You would never have to bother again about the problems of the world.?

?Certainly,? Relena said. She tried to imagine a life more nightmarish and failed.

?Now, as for your former marriage,? Cole continued. ?Do you really want to be married to a common soldier?? He gestured vaguely in Heero?s direction.

Relena?s tongue felt thick in her mouth as she tried to form an answer that would match the feelings in her heart and still satisfy Cole?s question. At all cost, she must not sound like she was playing him. ?I want the best match possible,? she replied. ?Certainly the more worthy man would be preferable, someone who understands me and could protect me.? Her face felt strangely warm.

?I?m so happy you think so too,? Cole said. He seemed enamored of her blush. It was all she could do not to flinch when he caressed her cheek. ?Now, if we understand each other?and I think we do??Relena nodded encouragement??then perhaps we can proceed with the legal matters. A divorce in front of witnesses, followed by a marriage in the chapel, and then we can send these fellows on their way.?

Relena nodded again, but felt a little faint. Cole helped her off of the bed and guided her out of the room with a hand on her back. Cole?s bodyguards ushered them out to the hallway and stood guard at the door. Zechs, Wufei, and Heero followed, trailing her like hounds, faces as hard and as impassive as stone.

When they were in the hallway, Cole?s phone rang.

Zechs shot a glance at Wufei.

?Hello?? Cole said into the receiver. He was silent for a moment, and then the goofy expression on his face collapsed.

That was all the warning they had. It all happened too fast for Relena. By the time Cole reached for his gun, Heero?s body slipped between them. He grabbed Relena about the forearm, hard enough that she sucked in her breath to keep from crying out, and wrenched her out of Cole?s grip.

?Get down,? Heero said. His body was between her and everything else, but around the view of Heero?s back Relena saw Cole turn to Heero with his gun raised and a wild look in his eyes. Heero shoved Relena and she stumbled, tripping over her heels, falling backward into the honeymoon suite. She saw Heero?s eyes just before she heard gunfire, and then the door slammed in her face, locking her in the bedroom.

There was a clamor of noise and general confusion, shouts of ?double crossers!? and ?betrayers!? from Cole, a guttural response from Zechs, and then more gunfire. Relena choked back a cry. She stayed low to the ground as instructed and dropped to look beneath the door.

She couldn?t make out anything. Booted feet were filling the hall. There was a man lying stretched out on the tiles, blocking her view. She could only see the soles of his shoes.

More gunfire.

?Heero!? she cried, pounding the flat of her hand on the door. ?Milliardo! What?s happening??

There was a deathly silence, followed by the sound of more booted feet. Too many feet. Were they Cole?s men? Or Noin?s? Relena?s heart beat like a drum in her chest.

?Miss Relena??

It was Cole?s voice.

She didn?t respond. She couldn?t respond. Cole?s men. They must be. Then that meant?

?Heero!? she cried. ?Milliardo! What have you done to them??

?You?re all right, love,? Cole told her. ?Stay safe in there. Calm yourself. Everything is fine. Nothing to worry you. I?ll be right there. Those double-crossers can?t hurt you.?

As he was speaking, Relena heard movement of people. And then Cole?s voice became harsh, directed at someone else in the hallway. ?Don?t leave the bodies. Bring them below.?

TBC
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[DesignGuy]

Aww man...what can I say. Things are definitely picking up now. I'm glad you are finishing this series, an excellent take on a well used plot. The scene with Duo and Sally was well written, overall well written. I only caught one typo here:

Getting into the tunnels beneath Cole?s mountain compound had been one of the trickiest maneuvers had had ever pulled.

You captured the intensity of the situation perfectly. Nice cliffhanger at the end. Keep up the good work. Its going to be interesting to see how everything turns out.

[lilac310]

waahhh! first to review!....finally, you've updated and decided against abandoning this fic altogether....Anyways, although some might have strayed away from the 1xR fandom, I think it's still very much alive. Other fandoms are definitely enticing but nothing beats a classic...lol..for me, at least.... YAY 1xR forever!

You did well on this. I just can't wait to find out whose "bodies" were needed to be brought below.....Cole's men or Heero, Wufei, and Zech's? Write more! Cheers!

[lilac310]

aww..thought I was first...oh well...hehe...still cheering!

[Midge-14]

I'm so happy you decided to finish this and hopefully it will get some closure because its too interesting of a story to leave unfinished. This chapter was wonderful, taking us finally away from the tension between Relena and Heero in the home and throwing us in the action. It was well written.

GW is an old fandom and there will always be nice new fandoms that will entice writers away but there's always loyal fans that stay.

Yay, you updated!

[relena]

YOUPPI!! You decide to update... Man this is awsome... But dont leave us in the dark... Update soon... I want to know PLEASEEEE!!!

[zapenstap]

Awwww. thanks everybody! I appreciate that there are still people in the fandom. 1xR IS my OTP after all.

I counted 3 mistakes in the chapter when I reread it. And a mispelled word. I saw two missing words and then the one you pointed out. They may have been edits I missed when I did the revision. It's a HUGE pain to go back and fix them after the story is published though, cause I'd have to fix it in multiple places. We'll see how much it bothers me...

Anyway, thanks a ton for the support! I hope to keep the momentum going this time!

[Wingnut]

It seems ironic that the chapter that comes after a long wait ends in a cliffhanger.
No matter. At least it will be finished. So in the next 2-3 chapters we need to somehow get the heroes to safety alive, kill Cole (And Dorothy too for all I care. The traitor deserves no less in this scenario.), and when that's done have Heero and Relena get into a romantic relationship that makes what they have pretended for the last week a reality.
Knowing the way you write, any in story tension and real world waiting will be worth it in the end.

[NafX]

OMG!!!!
You updated!!!
You can't know how excited I was to see this ...
This has been my all time fav for so long ...
Thank you for coming back and continuing ... it means a lot!
And what an UPDATE!! Woohoo!!
You have me on the edge of my seat now ... I'm hanging out for the rest ...

Although I must say, I'm starting to doubt there will be a happy ending ... *bites nails* ... and I'm a sucker for those ... *hopeful look*

Anyhow ... thanks so much Zap ... it's really wonderful ... honest ...

~Nat.

PS: Just since you wondered, the H/R GW fandom is alive and well as far as I'm concerned - please keep creating for it ... you're one of the best!

[Fate Lowe]

Update!!! I love it!!! But I need another one soon. The cliffhanger is goin' to kill me. Keep up the great work.