| Whatever It Takes Chapter 2 Quatre kept close to the tree line, moving quickly and silently until he caught up to Relena and her companion. He noticed the man glancing furtively back down the road they had just traveled. He also noticed the gun he had pointed at Relena's side. Biting his lip, Quatre made a quick decision. The knife he pulled from its sheath was small, but extremely deadly. He would have to be fast and accurate. Easing along the roadway, he crouched as he crept to the right of the couple. The man looked behind him one more time, turned, and that's when Quatre made his move. Silent as snowfall he advanced until he was directly behind the soldier. Quatre took a heartbeat's moment to judge his aim, then plunged the lethal dagger into the man's neck. The accurate thrust scraped between the vertebrae of the neck and immediately severed the man's spinal cord. He was dead before he hit the ground. Relena heard a slight scuffling noise and turned just in time to see a black figure hovering over the soldier as the man's body collapsed to the ground. She raised her bound hands to her mouth but no sound came out. The black-clad figure looked towards her and she took a step back. "Relena, it's me, Quatre! Don't scream! Are you alright?" "Q-Quatre?" she breathed, not daring to trust her eyes. He nodded and took off the knit cap, allowing his blond curls to fall loosely around his face as they usually did. "Oh...," she felt her heartbeat start to return to normal as relief flooded her veins. With a detachment that she realized may have been shock, she watched as Quatre coolly removed his knife and wiped the small amount of blood on the man's shirt before putting it back in its sheath. He stood with his hands on his hips and surveyed their surroundings before turning back to Relena. "I have to move the body. You're going to have to hide among the trees here until I come back. Duo is with me. If you see him before I get back, let him know you're here." Quatre narrowed his eyes as he studied Relena's face. "Are you sure you're okay? Can you do this?" Relena nodded wordlessly. "Oh, here," Quatre said as he produced his knife again to cut away the rope binding her hands. Relena closed her eyes and swallowed. She tried not to think about that knife severing the soldier's life even as it slid through and severed the ropes that imprisoned her. Quatre gathered up the pieces of rope, picked up the gun and stashed them in his jacket. He reached for Relena's hands and gently squeezed them, as much for comfort as to check her circulation. When she looked up he met her gaze questioningly. "I'm...I'm okay. Thank you,' she managed to say. Quatre nodded and pointed to a group of trees and underbrush near the side of the road. "If you wait there I'll be back in a few minutes." "Okay," she nodded and shakily walked to crouch behind the trees, out of sight from the road. Quatre picked up the body and disappeared into the trees. Relena eased back until she was leaning against the rough bark of a solid trunk. The ground was cold and damp and she didn't want to sit down so she kept herself propped on her heels. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember the breathing exercises that she used with her meditation. After a few deep breaths she was beginning to feel better when she heard a slight noise and a hand was suddenly clamped over her mouth. "Sshh, princess, it's just me." The hand was removed and she raised her eyes to see the little-boy smile that had set so many hearts fluttering, including her own. But now her heart was pounding for a different reason. "Duo! Are you both determined to give me a heart attack? Why don't you just shoot me and get it over with!" She glared at him. He chuckled softly and ignored her jibe. "Where's Quatre? I take it he didn't have any problems?" She shook her head and looked over Duo's shoulder. "Here he comes now." Quatre approached them, the soft carpet of fir needles masking any sound his feet may have made. Duo stood and faced his friend. "Everything alright?" The blond nodded and jerked his head back the way he had come. "The body is under a log about a hundred yards from here. It won't be easy to find." "Good," Duo nodded, "Then I suggest we go someplace and warm up while we plan our next move." "Next move?" Relena repeated in confusion. "Can't you just take me home?" "Not just yet," Duo replied. "We want to make sure it's safe," Quatre added before she could protest any further. Relena reluctantly nodded and the three made their way through the woods towards the town. "Where are we going?" Relena kept her voice low, although in the middle of the woods there was no need to whisper. "We have a safehouse at the edge of town," Quatre answered. "We were staying there in hopes of gathering information on the Oz facility you were just in." His eyes cut over to the girl walking beside him. "It's a good thing we were there when they brought you out." Relena paused and the two boys turned back to look at her. "You mean you...you didn't know I was there?" They shook their heads at her. "I would have thought..." Her voice trailed off as she tried to make sense of what was happening. "C'mon," Duo pulled gently on her arm. "Let's get home and then we'll talk." 'Home' turned out to be a small frame house near the edge of the woods. A high wood fence gave the house some privacy from its neighbors and the nearby forest allowed for stealthy exits and entrances. Quatre reached the back door and pulled a key from his pocket. After unlocking the ordinary-looking bolt, he produced a small electronic device from his pocket and entered a numerical code. There was a clicking sound from the door and he turned the handle and entered. Relena paused for a moment on the threshold before moving to allow Duo to enter the kitchen behind her. Her first thought was that it looked so...so normal. The walls were painted a sunny yellow, and the appliances, though old, were gleaming white. A few dishes sat in a strainer on the counter near the sink. A calendar with a picture of the Grand Canyon was tacked to one wall, while another wall held a collection of coffee cups on hooks. A bare wood table and four chairs stood in the center of the room. "I'll go turn up the heat a bit," Quatre said as he moved into the hallway. "Not too much, Q," Duo reminded him. Quatre rolled his eyes, "No higher than 72, I promise." Duo turned to Relena. "Would you like some tea, or water, maybe?" Relena turned to him. "I...just water, thanks." She sat at the table as Duo brought her the water. He sat opposite her and pulled something from his jacket. It was a silver-colored vid recorder. Catching her curious gaze, Duo smiled. "This is what the Ozzie behind you dropped." She blinked at him. "Pardon?" Quatre joined them at the table and held out his hand. Duo placed the vid recorder in it. "I already checked," he said, "and there's nothing recorded on it." "Hm..." Quatre frowned as he checked the recorder for hidden transmitters or other such devices. "Wait a second," Relena protested. "Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" Duo spread his hands out on the table and tilted his chair back on its rear legs before he answered her. "There was an Oz soldier following you and Mr. Congeniality. I took care of him while Q rescued you." "And he was carrying this recorder?" Duo answered her with a nod. She rested her elbows on the table and put her head down in her hands. "I don't understand." Duo rose to stand by the sink. He filled a glass with water for himself, took a sip and crossed his arms as he leaned back against the counter. "Suppose you start from the beginning and tell us what happened to you." Relena blinked up at him. "Oh...alright. I was in a meeting this morning. Well, actually it was more of a social function attended mostly by the wives of some of Sanq's leaders. The meeting ended around 11:30. I had arranged for Pargan to meet me with the limo sometime after 11:00 so I knew he would be downstairs. When I left the building a few of the women came with me. We exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes before I got in the limo and we left. Everything seemed normal..." She took a deep breath. "But after a few minutes I realized something was wrong. Pargan always asks about my duties and how things have gone, but this time he was silent. I leaned forward to talk to him and that's when I realized it wasn't Pargan." Duo and Quatre exchanged a look and Quatre spoke up. "And you're sure it was your limo?" "Oh, yes," Relena nodded. "I've spent more time in that horrible thing in the last year than I have in my home." She took a sip of her water and continued. "When I realized that the man wasn't Pargan I started banging on the seat with my fists and demanding that he let me out. The doors were all locked with a master control. I couldn't get out. And he didn't acknowledge me in any way. We just kept driving until we arrived at the facility you found me at." Duo's eyes narrowed. "Did you get a good look at the workings of the facility? Do you have any idea what they're doing in there?" Relena shook her head ruefully. "All I saw were administrative offices. I didn't see anything in the way of military secrets or ammunition stockpiles or secret laboratories. They did have several doctors there, though. And Lady Une was there." Quatre's head came up. "Lady Une? Doctors? What were they there for?" "Well," Relena continued, "as soon as the limo arrived I was pulled from the back and led through a hallway to an office. They closed the door and I was alone for a few minutes. I tried going through the desk drawers to discover whom my abductors might be but everything was locked." There was a gleam of appreciation in Duo's eyes as he nodded for her to continue. "The next thing I knew Lady Une came through the door followed by two doctors, one male, one female. I could see several soldiers standing guard in the hallway before the door closed. I must have made some sound because Une came toward me. 'Surprised to see me?' she said. 'Don't worry, Your Highness, you won't be harmed while you're here. At least if you cooperate with us.' She carried a clipboard and each of the doctors had one as well. They started asking me some questions which I at first refused to answer. That's when Une looked at me - her eyes were so cold- and she said, 'I believe that you are quite close to the servant you call Pargan, is that right?' I just glared at her. Then she smiled at me and said, 'He hasn't been harmed...yet. I suggest that you cooperate with us if you don't wish to see that situation changed.'" Relena shrugged, "So I answered their stupid questions." Duo cleared his throat. "What kind of questions were they?" She hesitated. "Personal questions." Duo raised his brows and shot an inquiring look towards Quatre. Quatre turned in his chair to face Relena directly before he spoke. "We really need to know everything, Relena. It's the only way we'll be able to stop them. And whatever you say won't go beyond this room. Right, Duo?" "Absolutely." Duo's stance was casual but his eyes were focused intently upon Relena. Relena backed up in her chair and looked from one boy to the other. "I..I don't know. I don't know what to think. I d-don't know what's going on." Tears began welling in her eyes and her breathing was ragged.. "I don't know *you!*" she exclaimed. "I thought I knew you. I thought I knew both of you. But you...you're just my age but you've seen and done so much." She turned to Quatre. "You! I spent two days last week with you at a peace conference and yet I just saw you kill a man with the skill of a professional. Are you a peacemaker or an assassin?" Quatre's face was white when she turned to Duo. "And you're supposed to be the jokester. You grew up on L2 and you talk like a street kid but I have the feeling that you're one of the most intelligent people I'll ever meet. Are you a street kid or a cunning strategist?" Her voice softened as tears continued to flow, "Or are you just a sixteen-year-old boy?" She was beginning to shake in her chair. Duo sat at the table again and picked up her water glass to urge her to drink. He sat back and gave her a slow sad smile. Then he shrugged and said, "We're Gundam pilots." Relena felt a bubble of hysterical laughter rise to her lips and she pressed her fingertips hard against them. She rocked back and forth in her chair. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm so, so sorry. I know you were just doing what you had to do. I should understand that better than anyone." "No need to apologize, Relena," Quatre said, leaning towards her. "You've been through quite a lot." He reached over to the counter and grabbed a tissue which Relena accepted gratefully. Duo cocked his head and looked at her. "Are you feeling alright?" She nodded and wiped at her eyes. "I'm better. I don't know, maybe it has something to do with that injection they gave me..." She felt the other two immediately tense up. "Injection?" Duo asked through gritted teeth. Nodding, she took a deep breath and continued, "First I answered all those ridiculous questions." She briefly looked away from the boys. "Like, have you ever had sexual relations before? How old were you at the time of your first menstruation? How regular is your cycle now?" Her face was pink as she turned back to the others. "And lots of other questions about my general health." She shrugged. "I don't have any health problems. They seemed satisfied and they wrote everything down on their clipboards. Then they went in the corner and I could hear them whispering something about a 'dosage.' Lady Une then ordered me to take off my pants and sweater and sit in a chair. My hands were tied to the arms. When I first saw the needle I thought they were going to kill me. Then I realized that if that was the case they wouldn't have been so worried about the dosage. I figured it was some kind of truth serum, maybe. But then after they injected me they untied me and Lady Une ordered me to get dressed. Before she left the room she turned to me and seemed to hesitate before she said, 'Remember...it's nothing personal, your highness.' Then she left and I was escorted out the building. The rest you know." Quatre was biting his bottom lip as he looked at her. Duo was rubbing his chin with one hand, his eyes narrowed as he gazed at her. "And you're not feeling any effects from the injection?" Relena shrugged and shook her head at Quatre's question. Quatre turned to look at Duo. "A subdermal transmitter?" Duo shrugged, "Possibly. Or something planted in the clothing. Maybe the injection was a decoy." "Whatever the injection was, it's either harmless or it's slow-acting," Quatre added as he turned back to Relena. "Ah...Relena. I have to ask your permission to examine your clothing. They may have put something in there without your knowledge." Duo jumped up. "I'll get you something else to wear." He came back a few seconds later with a baggy t-shirt and some silky boxers. Quatre shot him an annoyed look. "What?" Duo looked back innocently. "It's the only thing I could find on short notice." Relena sighed and took the clothes as she stood. "This will be fine, gentlemen. Now if you'll kindly show me the way to the restroom?" Two minutes later she re-entered the kitchen. Duo blinked when he saw her. The large t-shirt covered the boxers making it look like she wore nothing underneath. She had taken the braids out of her hair and now used one hand to sweep the mass of honey gold out of her face. She thrust the other hand with her clothes at Quatre. "Here. Knock yourself out." Quatre took the leggings and handed the sweater to Duo. They turned the clothing inside out and checked all the seams thoroughly. "There doesn't seem to be anything here," Quatre raised his eyes to see Relena sitting in the chair with her arms folded around herself. She was bent forward and rocking back and forth. "Are you okay?" "I feel funny," she said in a faint voice. "Like I can't sit still." "Maybe it's just the effects of all that's happened," Quatre laid a hand soothingly on her arm and was surprised to see her flinch. "It's like...it's like there's ants crawling underneath my skin," she murmured. At her words, Duo jerked his head up from the inspection of the sweater. His eyes swung from Relena's rocking form to the forgotten vid recorder and back. "Oh, shit!" he whispered, his face going white. Quatre turned to look at him. 'What?' he mouthed silently. Duo shook his head and then jerked it towards the doorway. Quatre stood and followed him into the hall. As soon as they were both in the darkness, away from the kitchen Duo turned. "I think I know what it is, Qat. And it ain't good." |