Releena lay there patiently, the brown haired young woman keeping her eyes shut as she waited for the noises to gradually come to a halt. She was a bit surprised to hear the soft murmur of Une and Juri's conversation, the voices recognizable but the words unclear. Finally when things were quiet and still she slipped from her bed, dressing swiftly. 'I know this is a bad idea,' Releena admitted as she silently slipped off down the hallway, 'but I just had to get away for awhile, escape all of the secrets.' Her father had simply refused to explain what was really going on, even though Releena was sure that he knew more than he was telling. Colonel Une was simply unapproachable, and not just because of her allegiance to the Specials. Une had a cold, almost regal bearing about her at times, one that prevented attempts at making small talk. And Juri... Releena scowled, the back stairs deserted as she took the slower but safer way down to the street. Juri had met her eyes then, the slightest of smiles appearing on her face as they stood together in the hallway by their rooms. "I'll answer you're questions if you want," Juri had said seriously, "but be sure you really want to know." "How can I make a decision like that," Releena muttered to herself as she finally reached the street level, "if no one tells me anything?" The light in the colony had been dimmed for the night cycle and the nearby road was deserted as Releena took a walk, lost to her own thoughts until the honk of a horn distracted her. Hilde smiled gently, the young woman driving the limo that she had first picked Releena and the others up in. "If you don't mind," she said as she flipped her brown hair up out of her eyes, "I have a passenger who would like to speak with you." "Oh?" Releena asked, readying herself to run. Seeing Releena's hesitation Hilde quickly added, "I'll guarantee your safety, and you can leave whenever you're ready." 'This is a very stupid idea,' Releena thought as she climbed inside. The interior was dim, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust and make the other figure sitting there visible. He was an old man, his hair long and gray with small, round glasses over his eyes. "Good evening, Ms. Peacecraft," he said calmly, the slightest of smiles on his face, "my name is unimportant, but you can call me Dr. J." "I'm sorry sir, but you must have me confused with someone else," Releena shook her head in honest confusion. Dr. J gestured, revealing that he had a artificial hand and Hilde started the car up. "You are of course aware that you were adopted," he saw the blank look on her face and sighed wearily before muttering to himself, "ah, the things we do to protect the young." Releena tried to fight the feeling of vertigo she felt, 'Adopted? Mother and father never said...' Taking a steadying breath she forced herself to speak, "Even assuming I believe you're telling the truth, what does Peacecraft have to do with this?" He nodded, "You've read about the fall of the peace loving nation of the Sank, and the betrayal that they suffered." "They were supposed to have been colluding with the colonies," Releena recalled the official story, "and the governments of Earth felt that they had to take action." "The Peacecraft monarchy were great friends with our leader Heero Yui," he sighed, "but all they sought was peace." He saw her surprise at the name Heero and remarked, "I see you have encountered my young charge, he took the name in respect to the other man." "I see," Releena murmured then she made them get back on track by pointing out, "But all the Peacecraft family is dead." "No," he shook his head, "the King and Queen died with their nation, that is true, but the children were rescued by trusted servants. The fate of the eldest son remains a mystery, but we have found the daughter...." "You can't be serious," Releena made a face, "it sounds like something out of a bad drama. And you expect me to believe that I'm this lost daughter?" "No, I don't." When she looked at him in surprise he smiled, "I merely expect you to consider what I've said, ask the right questions and accept the answers." He reached into his pocket and drew something forth, "I also have a gift for you." "That's..." Releena blinked in surprise as he dropped the silver ring in her hand, the rose seal gleaming scarlet in the dim light. "You are a player in this game," he said to her seriously as the car slid to a stop back in front of the hotel, the side door opening automatically, "but the role that you will choose is your own to decide. Just pick it well." A moment later Releena found herself standing in the darkness watching the taillights quickly disappear in the distance, her hand still firmly clutching the rose signet she had just been given. 'Could it be true?' she wondered dazedly. She rushed upstairs, grateful that she could slip into her room unnoticed then fell into a restless sleep. Back in the limo Hilde drove on silently for a moment then she just had to ask him, "Was that really a good idea, sir?" "Probably not. The attack on them was a surprise to me," he softly admitted, "and to the others in our loose organization. If she is going to be at the center of events young Miss Peacecraft needs to understand the stakes and the role she could play." "Understood sir," Hilde said with a respectful nod as she pulled over to pick up her replacement, "I just hope we don't regret this later." "As do I," he agreed. Hilde got out of the car and walked back towards the hotel, mentally preparing to return to her role as a helpful local guide. 'I'd better keep a close eye on them,' she thought, 'especially if whomever planted that bomb takes another shot. Having a diplomat and OZ colonel die here would not look good at all...' Hilde sighed, 'Were OZ really so willing to sacrifice their own soldier, or is there a third party involved in our little conflict?' Far away from the young lady's troubled thoughts fires raged as explosions blossomed through the refueling center in North America, flammable liquids quickly reaching the ignition point. The armored figure watched a moment, the twin guns mounted on it's arms ready, then the lanky red and blue colored mobile suit moved off. "Another mission completed," Trowa Barton murmured, his brown hair falling oddly towards his remote eyes. He was oddly expressionless as he moved off through the wreckage of OZ suits, studying the monitors even as he trudged on. Text streamed across the glowing screen, detailing yet another mission to the cold yet dangerously efficient young pilot. A prototype mobile suit being tested, technology that must be destroyed and also reasonably nearby. The Gundam called Heavyarms moved silently through the night, concealing it's presence with surprising ease. Trowa had learned well the conditions on Earth in the past few weeks and knew how to use the features to his fullest advantage. He had even found a job, as a performer in a circus, one of the few distractions he allowed himself from the task at hand. 'Catherine,' Trowa thought as the image of the knife thrower appeared before his mind's eye, the beautiful girl who treated him with such kindness. He made himself clear his head as he muttered, "There's work to be done." Concealing the Gundam in the forest he went on ahead on foot, Trowa easily hiding his presence as he carefully approached the target. Crawling forward through damp earth he reached the top of a rise and brought the binoculars to his eyes only to freeze in surprise. "Gundams?!" Trowa blurted softly. A closer scan revealed all the differences, but Trowa felt a chill in his bones. There weren't test models that were patrolling outside the facility below him, they were working models. One resembled a Leo, a armored knight painted in black and red while the other had a more elegant look, a larger shield unit and a chain-unit attached to the arm. 'They look like the Tallgeese that's been operating in Europe,' Trowa noted. 'I doubt they're built with Gundanium,' he thought as he recorded all the details of the suits and the site that he could, 'but if their performance is even close to our Gundams' abilities I don't dare rush in there on my own. I'm going to need help....' With that disturbing thought in mind Trowa slipped away, racing to return to his Gundam in case the enemy discovered it. "Though even with it," he murmured, "I could be in trouble."
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