CHAPTER II- Abduction

A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! Angsty bit in here, gomen ne! This is a 1xR, don't worry...it's all in my head...

"You should have accepted the president's deal then," a voice murmured into Relena's room. He had used a sharp pointy metal object to pick the lock on her window, and walked slowly to her beside.

His name was Heero Yuy. Well, it was his most recent name. History would not remember Heero Yuy. He was the type of person who would save the world and then get back to work the next day. He didn't have a star personality or dazzling smile, just brown hair, blue eyes, and a peace-loving soul.

Those cold eyes were trained on the girl asleep in her bed, tossing and turning, but nowhere near conscious.

Slowly and deliberately, he settled himself on the bed and brushed her hair out of her eyes. His lips quirked in a slight smile as she mumbled something in her dreams. His expression grew serious as he pulled out a small handkerchief and poured the chloroform onto it. He was very careful- too much could kill her.

He touched her cheek delicately, "You can't understand yet, but this is all I can do for you. This is all I want to give to you. I love you, and I won't ever hurt you. That's why you can't ever know."

He pressed the cloth against her mouth and nose, and watched intently as she struggled and then fell into an even deeper sleep.

Adoringly, he lifted her in his arms and cradled her head against his neck- a forbidden touch.

"You are the future, Relena. I, like the name I bear, belong in the past."

He left as quietly as he came with her breath blowing rhythmically against his throat.

"It's okay, Hilde," Duo was saying, holding his girlfriend against him, "there's a possibility everyone else is going to be okay. This is just a safety measure."

Duo, a man with a braid and a nasty nickname, was not one to lie. He did, however, occasionally exaggerate.

His girlfriend, one who occasionally did lie, but never exaggerated, gave him a glare that could rival Heero Yuy's. they were standing outside of a long range shuttle. Some of their friends were going, others were not. Four Gundam pilots would be going, Trowa Barton, Duo Maxwell, Wufei Chang, and Heero Yuy, as well as several close friends, such as Hilde Shiebecker and Catherine Bloom. The others were randomly chosen uninfected people, a small group of survivors in case things got bad.

Hilde eyed Duo angrily, "What are we waiting outside for?"

"For Heero and Relena. She wasn't very cooperative."

"Poor Relena."

Actually, 'Poor Heero.' When Ojousan wakes up, she'll make sure to give Heero a piece of her mind."

And then Heero was approaching, holding the unresisting Relena in his arms. He looked rather possessive, Duo noted, pressing her against him as if the wind might try and pluck her out of his hands.

"Yo, Spandex boy!" Duo called enthusiastically, even though his spiky haired friend had long ago forsaken wearing all forms of rubber spandex, "Let's get Ojousan in and prepare for take off!"

Duo wasn't expecting Heero to dump Relena in his arms and give him a warning look, "The chloroform should wear off in a couple of hours. I want you to take care of her."

"Heero, what are you doing? Where will you be?"

Heero paused, "I had a blood test today. I've been infected by the food on L1 with strain D. If I go with you, I run the risk of exposing all of you to the virus."

He touched Relena's flaxen hair gently, "Don't let anything happen to her."

Duo said nothing. Hilde's eyes widened. They could do nothing for Heero, but they could take care of Relena for him. Finally, Duo smiled, "Hell, I guess it'll be a false alarm then. With your brains, you'll have a cure in next to no time."

Heero smirked, "I'm smart, but I'm not that smart. I'll do my best."

He retreated to a safe distance and watched the shuttle tear itself away from Earth and fire off towards the red planet. There were no other departures or arrivals. Earth was quarantined. He would try and find some way to help out, before his time was up.

He spared one last glance to the escaping shuttle and smiled as he whispered, "Relena..."

Shapes. Sounds. White. Relena did not quite understand where she was, but she knew she was not in her bed. Someone was talking behind her. She focused her mind much like one focused their eyes, trying to decipher the individual words instead of a flow of unintelligible babble.

"That's the real Foreign Minister?"

"Yes, dear."

"The one we see on the televids?"

"Yes, dear."

It was a father's conversation with his daughter. Relena felt tears well up in her eyes. She remembered her last shuttle flight with her foster father, his easy smile, his devotion to duty...

She fought the urge to cry. Where was she? Who had done this to her? Why was she on -she sniffed the sterile air- on a shuttle?

"Relena, are you awake?"

She blinked several times groggily, and saw Hilde's smiling face above her. She and Hilde had met during the Eve Wars, and forged a friendship over the time of peace so that it was a welcome face.

"Hil...de?"

"Can you sit up, Relena? You need to take this pain medication for your headache." She asked, holding out two pills and a plastic cup full of water.

"Headache? I have a-" Relena clutched her head as she sat up, "Yes, I have a headache! What happened?"

Hilde continued to smile but her brow creased with internal torment, "Relena, Heero-"

"Fuck! He must have knocked me out to get me to go to Mars!" She turned to Hilde, "He did, didn't he?"

She nodded grimly, "Sorry, Lena."

"Where is that bastard?! He's going to wish he was never born!" Relena spat uncharacteristically.

"Uh...he isn't here, Relena."

"WHAT?!"

"Look, Relena, you're tired, you're stressed-"

"Where is he?" she repeated coldly.

"Still on Earth. He was infected with the plague."

Relena's eyes widened in distress, "No..."

"He cares about you, Relena. You have to understand that."

Relena folded her hands in her lap, "If you don't mind, Hilde, I would like to be alone now."

"I...understand."

It took a week for the shuttle to reach Mars, and by the time the trip ended, Relena had somewhat come to terms with her fate. She felt as deep pain that she couldn't place, and nothing she did or thought seemed to drag her out of it.

The ship began the landing process, and Relena took a deep breath. She would be seeing the brother she barely knew- Milliardo Peacecraft.

The president sat at his desk, staring at the papers on his desk, "No demands, no claims of responsibility. A terrorist who wants nothing holds the entire world hostage."

Cheetah was laughing. Ice and Mouse were very quiet, watching with wide eyes. Foil was singing something about bringing glory to the world.

Dorothy leaned over a computer counsel and started typing in commands, "Strain Pestilence* has been activated."

The four others joined in with Cheetah's wheezing cackle.

* The name 'Pollution' refers to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse: Pestilence, Famine, War, and Death.