CHAPTER XV- Reality

"Ms. Darlain," the voice was sour and bitter, but Relena did not flinch, "We are wondering if you are not accurately representing the ESUN."

Relena smiled tightening the rope of her robe grimly, "I am not representing the ESUN, I am representing the truth."

Senator Jour, chair of the Outer Colony Affairs Committee, smiled, "You were not hired to represent the truth."

"I was not hired at all."

"You'd better take care to remember that then, or your career will be shattered, and everything you hold dear to you will die."

The discussion ended and Relena sighed, rubbing her temples with careful fingers, "God, Heero, I don't know what I'm going to do."

Heero Yuy was already dressed and checking up on the ship, "Our pilot left us last night. He was probably paid off by the mob anyway."

Heero was actually rather proud of himself. He had set the lock last night to let anyone out- but no one back in. The pilot, being completely unaware of this, had left the moment Heero had retired behind a privacy screen to his cot. When the traitor had returned with gas to kill them both easily, he found that every way in had been tightly sealed.

She turned to him and smiled. He found himself losing his train of thought.

"Thank you, Heero, for last night. I don't know if-"

The vidcom rang again. Heero kept his guarded eyes focused on her. His expression was unreadable as he brought up the viewscreen and accepted the call for Relena, who was still staring at him. A disgruntled face appeared on screen, startling them out of their own private microcosm. Heero instantly recognized the servant from the hall right before it exploded.

"Foreign Minister," he said harshly, "I thought you would like to know that we have taken twenty hostages. I will kill a hostage every ten minutes until you leave. If you I run out of hostages I'll get more. Do you understand?"

Relena shook her head, "Wait! Let's talk about this!"

He smiled, "There is nothing to talk about. Those are the facts."

He terminated the link.

She turned to her companion, "Did you trace the call?"

"Yes, the encryption was easy to break," Heero replied from the computer.

His eyes drank in the sight of her. Last night, oh, last night, that beautiful angel had given herself to his arms and drowned her pain and his in desire.

He had made sure it was beautiful, or as close to it as he could manage -for they had been both clumsy and overeager- but the sensitivity they had showed to each other had made it all worthwhile.

But now day had come, and again they had to expose themselves to the suffering that came with the harsh realities of the day. He anticipated her need and wrapped his arms around her.

"I have ten minutes to call the ESUN," she whispered into his shirt. He nodded and broke the embrace.

After several moments of heated discussion, Relena ended up where she had begun- absolutely nowhere.

"Ms. Dorlian, no offense, but we are in a hostage situation. A temporary retreat-"

Relena shook her head, "The Reconstruction Act I helped write two months ago clearly stated that the ESUN would not appease terrorists!"

"Ms. Dorlian, you are no longer needed," Senator Jour was saying, "We have back up methods that will deal with the problem quickly and effectively. You are to get to precisely forty space-clicks away from the colony ASAP."

Relena leaned forward and slammed a hand on the counsel, "What back up methods?!"

"We don't have long now, Ms. Darlian, please follow our instructions," the senator hissed, "You are mistaking this for a discussion. It is not. You are assuming we are equals." he trained his eyes on hers, " We are not. You are at a disadvantage. Back down or pay the consequences!"

Relena had no choice. The safety of herself, her brother, and her brother's lover was on the line. Aiding and abating a traitor was punished with a memory wipe. Treason was paid for with life.

Relena severed the link and looked up at Heero's questioning face. She traced soft fingers over his cheek and her eyes told him how much she needed him at that moment, "I think we're leaving, Heero."

He nodded coldly and turned to the cockpit.

Senator Wayridge walked quickly through the twisted halls of the Geneva House of Commons, for his sources had informed him that the Outer Colony Affairs Committeeroom would be the place to be during the crisis.

Sources had told him…

No, that could not be possible.

He shoved his way into the room. Senator Jour was standing up before an assortment of camera crews.

"What we have right now is a problem," Jour was saying, "But this problem is more like a festering wound. We can cover it with a bandage, but that won't stop the infection from spreading," his eyes were hard and resolute, "The only way to get rid of the infection is to get rid of the wound!

"Ladies and gentlemen of all of the colonies and the entire world, we of the Outer Colony Affairs Committee have been working with a branch of the Preventers to create a revolutionary new weapon. This machine eliminates problems and makes the world a safer place for the world.

"In the process, it sacrifices lives, but isn't lasting peace worth a few lives? Isn't that what Relena taught us? We are enforcing the law, not rising above it." Senator Jour retained his grim composure as he leaned on the recently carted in podium, "Terrorists have threatened the colony in which Foreign Minister Relena Darlian was attempting peace talks. A message must be sent off to any and all people who threaten the ESUN. We are putting our foot down and saying 'no' to the hate. We are saying 'no' to the threats. We refuse to sacrifice the ideals of the entire ESUN for a dirty and greedy Mafia."

A little boy named Latka entered a machine. It scared him. He felt his consciousness scatter throughout the depths of space, towards the stars, the planets, and the horrible darkness between them. The machinery with which he was connected with helped him focus his suddenly vast intellect to a narrow point- to a small colony on the surface of an asteroid.

He had it. He let loose the energy that was being fed into him, but it was too much. The young boy felt like he was being torn apart.

And then there was nothingness.

Relena stared out the cockpit window as she watched the colony she had stayed on suddenly disappear.

She let out a scream of despair.

Heero threaded his fingers in hers and narrowed his eyes. Only one person could be capable of this disaster.

"Relena," he said hoarsely, "I have to go find someone."

She nodded, "I have business on L4. I understand what you have to do, and now I have matters of my own to deal with."

He looked hopeless, so she turned to him and kissed him softly and delicately, "We can resolve this together, Heero, I know it. If a weapon this incredible exists, the others are going to fear or want it. We have to kill this now. I wish…"she trailed off.

His eyes were angry and cold, but they softened under her touch, "I know. I wish for it as well, but the world has always meant more to both of us."

She smiled, "Yes." she rubbed her cheeks to make the tears that had escaped disappear, "Will you drop me off on your way?"

"What will you do there?"

"I need to see-"

"-Quatre Winner is unavailable right now," a recorded voice was saying, "Please leave a message and he will return your call."

"Shit!" Relena hissed. She looked up at Heero furiously, "He's not responding and we're less than an hour away from L4."

They were sitting in the cockpit, Heero in the pilot's chair, Relena in the copilot's. Charts and graphs and computers were all of the room. Heero was punching in numbers easily. Three dimensional navigation was very difficult but Heero, like all of the other Gundam pilots, had mastered it at any early age.

He leaned over and tapped in a couple of numbers, "This is a special emergency frequency we agreed upon using after the destruction of Libra in A.C. 195."

"Will Quatre remember it?"

Heero shrugged.

A blond head flickered on screen, "Heero! Relena! What's wrong?"

Apparently so.

Relena took charge, "Quatre, we have an emergency going on between the outer colonies and the ESUN. You own an asteroid mining company, right?"

"Yes," the boy replied.

"Well, I need to talk to you right away. It's rather important. Can you cancel your meetings today?"

The former Gundam pilot nodded grimly, "I know what you're talking about, Relena, I just saw the news."

"Good. I need you to get an agreement with the mining companies. Heero is going to take care of this weapon Senator Jour helped create. We'll kill this now before it becomes full-blown panic."

The friends turned lovers parted silently as the world decided once again to separate them.

Heero Yuy knew many frequencies. Doctor J had been in constant contact with Heero during the war in A.C. 195. A computer counsel could be set up to receive certain frequencies instead of just calls. The frequencies made the caller speak only to those who could receive. It was harder to tap, easier to send through space, and hopefully, Doctor J remembered to keep the link open.

Heero never thought he'd be relieved to see that grizzly face appear on his screen.

"Heero!" the man exclaimed, "How goes your life?"

That was it. He had a fix on where the receiving signal was originating.

"I'm coming for you," he growled to the screen, "I'm coming for you."

He fired his last set of booster engines and sent the shuttle careening back into deep space.

If Doctor J had the capacity to believe that his former pupil could turn on him, he would have been very, very afraid.

A/N: The next chapter will be the last chapter, however it's going to be quite long. 'Rehab' didn't turn out to be as good as I wanted it to be, and I'm considering not doing the third and final installment. What do you think? What you think is actually rather important, because if not, I'll have to give 'Rehab' a more resolute ending and use my idea for the third book on a different story. I don't like asking for reviews, but right now I need opinions. Arigatougozimasu!