CHAPTER IX- Introductions and Bitter Betrayal

"Good morning, child."

Relena woke slowly, roused by a soft, brittle voice that permeated the darkness of her mind. What had happened? Oh yes, a gas had been released…she had tried to press her face to the floor, tried to escape breathing in the fumes…but she couldn’t help it…At least they hadn’t tried to kill her.

Someone was nudging her shoulder with a boot. She opened her eyes groggily, and was confronted with a hazy, out-of-focus view of a small cramped room. It was damp and dark. She was not cold, though. She was hot. The humidity was overpowering.

"Good morning." The boot said. She rolled her head up to see an ancient, womanly face, "Ah, you’re awake. Me name’s Pigeon. I’ll be takin’ care of yeh."

"Oh…" Relena murmured, holding back the urge to throw up, "What am I doing here?"

"Well, hopefully you’ll be changing your mind on some matters."

"You want to rebuild the mobile suits, don’t you?" Relena hissed, "Well, they all really were self-destructed-"

Pigeon put down the tray suddenly, "What the hell are yeh blathering about, girl? We don’ give a damn about mobile suits! Get yourself up off of that mucky floor and get some food in yeh!" she demanded, "Of all the…"

Relena peered around Pigeon’s legs. An elderly woman was all that stood between her and an open door! Relena darted up suddenly-

A strong grip surrounded her wrist suddenly, "Yeh know, lassie, I’m usually not supposed to be taking care of prisoners." Pigeon’s senile attitude disappeared. Relena was confronted with the face of a killer, an elderly lady that would mind snapping her wrist bones for toothpicks, "I migh’ ‘forget’ to be careful with you. Don’t try anything stupid, my little girlie, because I don’t mind beating the lesson into you."

Relena looked back at her with the same courage with which she had faced Heero Yuy’s death threats, the same courage with which she had achieved everything in her life. Pigeon winced ever so slightly.

"Ah, lassie, what’s a pretty girl like you doin’ in this hellhole?"

"I don’t know."

"Heero, I don’t know how to break it to you, but your instincts were…right." Sally said amazedly, eyes scanning the printout in complete shock.

Heero had spent the entire flight hacking into travel records and flight plans with the frenzied determination of a mad man. He smirked slightly, a strange glint in his normally cold eyes. Before each person was a printout labeled ‘Plan.’ The code around the document had been intense, but no match for Heero Yuy.

Trowa pressed a few buttons on the flight counsel, "Good thing we’re in stealth mode. I’ll come down at the local airport, the Preventers already sent clearance ahead of us."

Wufei nearly had a cardiac arrest in shock, "What the hell? Are you all insane? Are we trying to get noticed?!"

"It’s okay, Wufei," Sally replied with false sweetness, "The Preventers cleared us under the guise of a travel agency."

Wufei glared at her discontentedly.

Heero didn’t really pay any attention to any of this. His mind was focused on something —no, someone- else.

Pigeon left Relena after she had eaten the gruel. She quietly explained to Relena that the door was not locked, but that it would be unadvisable to move beyond it.

Those words, of course, were meant to put a more powerful lock on the door than mere human hands could lift.

But Relena was well-versed in the art of psychology, being someone who needed to condition people on a daily basis. She was sure Pigeon’s threat was merely something of that sort.

Well, pretty certain, at least.

She moved towards the door, hand pressing carefully against the heavy handle.

The door swung open.

She couldn’t tell what he looked like. He was barefoot, with old-fashioned Indian clothing. Upon his face was a white mask.

"Hello, Relena Darlain."

She was so shocked, she even let a small trace of fear flicker across her face.

"I go by Kaliya, lady." He took one of her hands in his own. She was afraid to take it back for his voice, while warm and flowing like honey, had a burr of power and strength, and she knew this man would not mind killing her, "The elegant hands of princess, but they have seen labor. How is this so?"

"I’m a swimmer. I’ve also done volunteer work all over the world." Relena said meekly. She needed them to underestimate her!

"Ah yes, I remember reading about a month you spent here in India, building homes for the poor."

"That was last year, when the Senate adjourned its summer session." Relena murmured. Did her face look intimidated? "Are we in India then, Mr. Kaliya?"

"Yes, Southern India." He released her hand and stepped out into the corridor, "Come take a stroll with me, Relena."

She eyed him carefully. If she followed, she could get a better lay of the land, perhaps find out where the nearest city was…

"Of course, Mr. Kaliya."

She placed a hand in the crook of his arm carefully. His voice contained a smile, "I’m so glad you’re a rational person, Relena. I will deeply regret your death."

"Death?" the politician croaked hoarsely.

"Oh, not yet, dear. I need you alive for the time being, especially if I want to start another war."

"But, Pigeon said you didn’t want mobile suits!" she gasped.

He patted her hand with his one dark paw, "Of course I don’t. However, war makes my business very profitable. I have nothing against peace, Relena, but peaceful consumers don’t draw in enough of a profit."

"What’s your business?"

They moved from the corridor into a lovely stone portico, where they were rewarded the view of field upon field of budding plants. The sickly sweet smell that pervaded Relena’s nostrils made Mr. Kaliya’s reply unnecessary.

"Pleasure-"

"-to see you here!" Sally said enthusiastically, pumping the hand of Duo Maxwell in an over-exuberant handshake. To the many Indian crowding the streets, this action seemed very appropriate for a tourist, "I’m so glad you guys made it from home!

Hilde put a head on Duo’s shoulder and adjusted her sunglasses, "What do you mean?! It’s baking over here!"

Once their target was confirmed,

Sally shrugged cheerfully, shrugging at her fully dressed companions that had arrived earlier with her, "I already had to buy a pair of shorts before I could move properly," she lowered her voice a fraction, "I think heat-resistance is part of Gundam training."

Heero looked at her exhaustedly, "It is." He pulled out a map, "Now, a couple of men I interviewed over there claim the private jet landed somewhere in the jungle to the west," he stated coldly, "and then others say it was to the west." He pointed to the thick jungle to that direction, "Basically, no one wants to disclose the location." He looked over at their crest fallen faces smugly, "But each one of them looked briefly southeast when I asked them." He smirked, "So that’s the direction we go."

Duo’s jaw dropped, "And you did all of that in the two hours it took to fly Hilde and me here?"

Sally cut in for Heero, "Heero’s a fast worker, Duo." She quickly changed the subject, "Hey, isn’t it strange that Une wanted all of the Gundam pilots to track down Ms. Darlain? Wouldn’t she want a couple of her best preventers to stay behind?

Hilde rolled up her sleeves in the heat, "You know, you’re right. Une did only want Duo to go…"

Wufei made a disapproving sound in his throat, "You women are so suspicious. Lady Une is a proud and loyal woman. She may have made mistakes in the past, but all she wants now is universal peace."

Trowa shrugged his shoulders slightly, "I don’t know, Wufei. Some people see things strangely."

"I’ve done all you want. Couldn’t you please give Mariemeia back?" She begged. She had never begged before. Lady Une was indeed a proud woman.

The screen to which she talked was black, with a small blinking red light in the corner the only sign of a transmission in progress. The voice, obviously synthesized, was quick to reply, "Yes you have done all we want- for now. Love makes even the strongest of people weak, Une. Just look what happened to you. Don’t worry, Mariemeia lives, but one wrong move from you could change that."

The little red light went out. Une bowed her head in defeat.