Disclaimer: I don’t own them…*is sad* I obviously don’t own the people in the series or manga. I own everyone and –thing else though. I am pretty sure I own the plot too.
Thursday, June 13 AC 198
“Was she killed?” asked a shadow-hidden face.
“No, they failed at that,” responded a man in his mid-forties. Despite his young age, he had gray hair. He also had a full beard and eyebrows that diverged into two at the ends. Behind him and to his left was a young lady just approaching the age of twenty; she had red hair (almost a strawberry blonde but not quite), milky white skin, and the same eyebrows, but hers were not as obvious in their divergence as the man’s were.
“My patience is wearing thin with these employees of yours, Duke,” the shadow warned.
“I am going to send in my daughter to get her,” the man informed.
“She will kill her?”
“My daughter will lure her to us. When we have control of her, she will be of more use alive than dead.”
“You better be right.”
“I know I am.”
“I will contact you in a month.”
“Until then…‘partner.’”
The screen went blank as the shadow cut the connection. The man turned towards his daughter.
“Father, is that what you wanted to talk to me about?” the young lady asked.
“Yes, you are going to have a visit to your dear cousin. Then, I am sure you will have no trouble bringing the woman we want.”
“If you say so Father, but what I want to know is, what are you planning on doing? Who was that man? Why did you call him your ‘partner’?”
“I will tell you in time. All you need to know is that you are visiting your cousin. That man and I have some business with a certain lady.”
“Which cousin will I be visiting? I do hope it is Vigo, I love his clothes that he’s designing.”
“No, you are not visiting him.”
“Then whom?”
“A cousin you haven’t been with since your play-date with your other cousin Treize Khushrenada;…you are going to meet with Dorothy Catalonia.”
Friday, June 21 AC 198-12:30
“Miss Dorothy,” an assistant chirped at the doorway.
“What is it?” Dorothy asked, a bit annoyed. She had finally finished putting the last of her family’s affairs into order. She finally had time to relax for a little bit.
“I have a message sent to me from your cousin,” the assistant cowered.
“My cousin?” Dorothy sounded surprised. She had not heard from her family for a couple of years, except at holidays and birthdays. She knew that it was not the former and hoped to God it was not the latter because she had nothing to give as a present.
“Yes, ma’am, said it was a social issue and not to worry about anyone’s death.”
“Oh…was there anything else?”
“Only that she’ll be visiting in a week. She is not sure how long her stay will be.”
“Which cousin is this?” Dorothy wondered. She had been hoping it was Vigo.
“Oh! Uh…um,” the assistant clumsily looked at his notes for where he wrote the cousin’s name, as Dorothy grew more and more impatient.
“Well? What is it? Who is coming over here!” she demanded.
“Melita Khushrenada, ma’am,” the assistant stammered.
“Melita?” Dorothy echoed.
“Yes” the assistant confirmed. Dorothy dismissed the employee who gladly left back to work. Dorothy Catalonia could be an intimidating boss most of the time. Dorothy gazed out the window, reflecting on her cousin’s impending visit. She had not seen her since Melita had visited Treize for a day. She did not remember a lot of what happened that day, but she did remember that Melita had been a quiet child in contrast to Dorothy who had loved to chat.
~~ Flashback ~~
“Dorothy, Treize, Milliardo, I’d like for you to meet Treize and Dorothy’s cousin, Melita. She came all the way over from her Duchy to play with you today,” Treize’s mother had announced that day. Little Melita had been standing behind Mrs. Khushrenada. Her soft red hair had been groomed free of any tangles. She had been wearing a blue sundress that matched her pale blue eyes. Her hat had kept the beating sun out of her eyes and had a ribbon of the same color tied around it.
“It is a pleasure to meet you Cousin Melita,” Treize said. He did a formal greeting and was quite the little gentleman for one so young. Milliardo had said hello but didn’t seem near as interested as Treize was. Dorothy, on the other hand, was still very young compared to her two playmates. She had said hello and then ignored the new arrival. Mrs. Khushrenada left the children to play in the courtyard.
“How are you, Cousin Melita?” Treize asked.
“I am fine,” she answered. She was only a year older than Dorothy was, so she tried to play with Dorothy’s dolls.
“No!” the young Dorothy shrieked. Melita seemed surprised about this and stepped back. Milliardo and Treize turned their heads from where they had been planning a “war.” Dorothy had been making the townspeople, who would end up burning during the “war.”
“What’s the matter?” asked Treize. He was the eldest in the group and felt that it was his duty to make sure no one got hurt.
“I-I just tried to play with her,” Melita said, amazed at Dorothy’s tone.
“Dorothy, what have we told you about sharing your dolls,” Treize spoke. Dorothy pouted a bit, looked at the dolls, and finally handed one to Melita. Milliardo noted that it was the one Dorothy hated and had thrown in the garbage just the other day.
The children played nicely (or as nicely as war is played) for an hour when Mrs. Khushrenada came out.
“Time for Melita to go home now,” she announced.
“Already?” Milliardo said.
“Yes, I’m afraid so. It’s a very long trip back to her Duchy, and she needs to be there by noon tomorrow,” she explained. She grabbed Melita’s hand and took her to her father. Later that day, Dorothy cried and cried when she couldn’t find her favorite doll, Kiara. Treize, Milliardo, and the servants never found Kiara.
~~ End Flashback ~~
“So…Melita is coming for a visit after all this time,” Dorothy said to the window.
Friday, June 21 AC 198-21:30
Relena Darlian was very busy. Of course she was always busy, so how could one tell the difference? Stacks of paper on her desk seemed to grow faster by the hour. She had been working way past the normal day of work, but still she kept pressing on. If she stopped even for a quick nap, she feared the papers would fill the room.
“Miss Relena, you really need to stop working so hard. You can give most of these papers to other people,” said her assistant, Verdad.
“I suppose I could,” Relena sighed. She watched as Verdad lifted all but two stacks to take to subordinates.
“You had that planned, didn’t you? You organized the papers into stacks like that,” Relena teasingly accused.
“Well, Miss Relena,” started Verdad, “I am only making both my and your jobs easier.”
“I see,” Relena laughed.
“Also, you have a call on line four from a Dorothy Catalonia,” Verdad explained as she heaved the last stack out the office. Relena smiled at the sight and then opened the line to Dorothy.
“Hello, Dorothy?” Relena asked.
“Yes, hello, Miss Relena”
“It’s been awhile”
“I know. We have both been busy. I was wondering if you might happen to be free for lunch sometime this week. I would love to talk with you.”
“Of course, Dorothy,” Relena said. She began to flip through her appointment book and then frowned, “I don’t have a free day this week, but I do have an afternoon for two Mondays from now.”
“That won’t do. I have a pressing matter. By then it will be too late.”
“Oh. I see; well, on Saturday I am having lunch with Sylvia Noventa. Do you mind if she is there?”
“No, not at all. She might be some help actually.”
“Okay, well, I’ll just contact Sylvia. I’m sure she won’t mind. It is Saturday, noon, at Gamy.”
“I will be sure to meet you two there.”
“Good bye, Dorothy.”
“Until then, Relena.”
Relena hung up on Dorothy and called Sylvia to inform her of the new guest. Sylvia had no objections, and Relena went back to the sea of paper that had now, thanks to Verdad, been reduced to a stream.
Saturday, June 22 AC 198
“Zechs, I got some news from Earth,” Noin said. The Peacecraft Mansion was quite huge compared to the other homes on Mars.
“Good news, I hope,” Zechs responded from the table where he was reading one of the books his sister had sent to him.
“Relena says that Dorothy is acting weird….”
“Dorothy Catalonia?”
“Yeah, her, she said that Dorothy called her yesterday and seemed very worried about something that was happening.”
“Does she know what is happening?” asked Zechs; he was starting to get concerned.
“No, not yet. She’s going to talk with Dorothy over lunch Saturday with Sylvia Noventa. Dorothy said that whatever this thing is it’s going to happen within a week.”
“Within a week?”
“Yes, but don’t worry Zechs. If it was anything bad, Dorothy would contact the Preventers and not just chat about it with Relena and Sylvia.”
“Perhaps, or perhaps she feels she’s not safe to tell anyone and that she can take it on herself.”
“Zechs, relax. I’m sure Dorothy would never do anything like that. You’re overreacting,” Noin reassured.
Zechs mumbled an agreement but could not help remembering his childhood with Dorothy. She often did not tell anyone when she was scared, at least not the adults. When she had gone through her stage of fearing a monster in the closet, she had only briefly mentioned it to him, and even then she had slept with a baton under her pillow in case the monster ever came out. Zechs found that out once by accidentally waking her up when he was getting something from her room. She had broken his arm with the baton.
“I do hope you know what you are doing Dorothy,” Zechs said as he gazed out the window to the night sky where Earth should be.
Monday, June 24 AC 198
Sylvia took her seat by Relena and Dorothy at the round table. They ordered their food and commented casually about how their cute waiter had flirted with them.
“Oh, here is my gift, Relena,” Sylvia handed a wrapped box to Relena, “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to your birthday party, but I really had a problem with my little sister. You know, back in the day, the eighteenth birthday meant you could vote in some countries.”
“Thank you,” Relena accepted the gift. She smiled and safely put the box by her purse on the floor.
“You’re welcome,” Sylvia said. Their food came at that point.
“What did you want to tell me, Dorothy?” asked Relena as she started to pick at her salad.
“My…cousin is coming over,” Dorothy answered.
“Your cousin?” asked Sylvia, “Is that it?”
“It’s not just any ordinary cousin. It’s Melita Khushrenada. She…she….”
“Melita Khushrenada…why does that sound familiar?” Sylvia pondered. She started to think about it.
“What about her? What did she do?” Relena asked.
“I just have a bad feeling about her. I have ever since I met her when we were little,” Dorothy told her.
“A bad feeling?”
“Yes…I don’t know why.”
“Well when was the last time you were with her?”
“When I was about seven and she was eight.”
“Perhaps she’s changed”
“Maybe, but…”
“But what?”
“During the war…” Dorothy paused for a sigh, “her life is a total mystery.”
“What do you mean?”
“I remember one time when my grandfather called her father. He asked what Melita was up to, and he said that she had been sent to your school, Miss Relena. I knew she hadn’t been there, so when I checked on her records after everything, there is a blank in those years.”
“Well…she may not have necessarily done anything bad during that time.”
“Maybe”
“I remember!” Sylvia interrupted.
“You remember what?” asked Dorothy.
“Melita Khushrenada, I remember why she sounds so familiar!” Sylvia announced.
“Why?” asked Relena.
“My grandfather introduced me to her. She stayed with me for most of the war.”
“Why would her father lie about that to my grandfather?” Dorothy wondered.
“I don’t know,” Sylvia said with a feel-for-you face, “Well….”
“Yes?”
“If I remember correctly, she kept disappearing. I saw her with a young man a lot, so I thought at the time she was just sneaking around with him. But…she may not have been romantic with him. When they were together at my place, she would bark orders at him. She seemed like she didn’t like him and just tolerated him for some unknown reason. I used to think that she was just doing that so that no one would suspect it, like her father forbade her to be with him,” Sylvia said.
“What did the man look like?” Relena asked. She thought it was a good story. She was not, as Relena Peacecraft, supposed to gossip or anything, but she decided she needed a break. After all, she was only eighteen. Dorothy, too, was beginning to stop thinking about Melita’s visit and to start wondering about her past. She may get good blackmail material.
“Well, he was about three inches taller than Melita was. He had blonde hair, but it was obviously dyed since his black roots showed most of the time. He had red-like, hazel eyes. He had a strong jaw and was very built,” Sylvia gushed and then went into talking about his voice and…“other” features.
When Sylvia finished her detailed report about Melita and her maybe lover, the food had been eaten. The girls said good byes, said they should do it more often, and then went back to their lives, which were much too busy for people their ages.
Wednesday, June 26 AC 198
“Any word from Relena? She had that meeting with Dorothy two days ago,” Zechs asked, a bit paranoid.
“Yes,” Noin answered, “It was only Dorothy’s cousin, Melita Khushrenada. She’s visiting Dorothy for awhile.”
“Melita Khushrenada?” asked Zechs. He turned his head to Noin.
“I know,” Noin said, remembering the girl too, “She apparently stayed with Sylvia Noventa during the war though there is no record of what she did during then. Sylvia told the girls about how Melita kept disappearing back then.”
“Hn”
“…With a man that sounds an awful like Ethan Lenexa according to Relena’s description.”
“Ethan Lenexa?” Zechs echoed, “Why doesn’t that surprise me? But I thought he was into sabotaging Oz factories.”
“So did I. I wonder how he got involved with Melita,” Noin wondered.
“I don’t think there was any romance between them like the girls think. Melita could barely stand to be in the same room with people like Ethan Lenexa.”
“True. So what did the two of them do when they went away?”
“That is a question that needs to be answered.”
Friday, June 28 AC 198-14:30
“DUO! DUO!” shouted Hilde as she ran up the pile of junk to meet Duo.
“Yeah?” asked Duo as he pulled on a metal gizmo that was stuck.
“We got a new order!”
“Hilde, babe, I told you we can’t
take anymore orders. I am just now finishing up the
“But we had so much fun, Duo!” Hilde reminded him, “Besides, this is an order we can’t refuse.”
“I highly doubt that the mob is ordering from us,” Duo said as he went back to tugging at the gizmo.
“Ha, ha”
“And if they were, we could just talk to Dorothy. She has mob ties, you know”
“Duo! Will you stop with that? Dorothy does not!”
“She does!”
“Anyway, the man is willing to pay $38,000 for an arcet,” Hilde informed.
“All that for something dinky? You can get one at any hardware store.”
“I know, but he wants a special one. It must have this insignia on it,” Hilde handed him a picture.
“This insignia?” Duo studied the picture, “I don’t know if we have this. It’ll be pretty hard to find.”
“Yeah, but think about $38,000! We won’t have to pay the electric or phone bill for the rest of the year!”
“Yes…I’ll look for it. Just as soon as I get this,” Duo tugged one more time at the gizmo, which finally came loose.
Friday, June 28 AC 198-18:30
“Wufei, did you finish the report on-Wufei? Are you listening to me?” Sally asked.
“Zzzz”
“Wufei are you sleeping? Wufei!” Sally yelled.
“What? What?” Wufei’s head snapped up from his slumber.
“You were sleeping…again”
“Oh….”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“What else would you like for me to say?”
“You’re sorry for one. Aren’t you getting enough sleep at home?”
“Um…I guess not. It’s not like I’m home a lot anyway.”
“True…let me look at you,” Sally said and got in a position to examine him.
“What?” Wufei screamed. He looked at Sally like she was insane.
“Wufei, I’m a doctor. I won’t do anything just say ‘ah’” Sally instructed. Wufei reluctantly opened his mouth and let her look down it and feel his glands. She flashed a flashlight in his eyes and basically tortured him for a few minutes before arriving at her conclusion.
“You’re working too hard.”
“All that, and that is your conclusion woman? Even I could have told you that.”
“So I wanted to make you squirm a little. Wufei, you’re only seventeen, and you are definitely not getting enough sleep for someone your age. You need at least eight hours of sleep per night.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“Yes, and if you don’t start getting more sleep at home, I’ll talk to Une about this.”
“Fine” Wufei started to mutter about women and sleep when he looked up, “Why are you still here?”
“Noin called earlier. It seems as though Dorothy is having a cousin stay indefinitely. A cousin that did not have the best connections during the war.”
“So? Someone has to know those people. Why are you wasting my time, woman?”
Any normal person might be annoyed, but Sally only responded, “It’s just the way Dorothy told Relena who told Noin who told me. She suggested we stop by for dinner one night soon.”
“Fine, if you want to,” Wufei said.
“Now, about those reports-”
Wufei’s eyes widened for a tiny second and then he grabbed his jacket and car keys in one swift motion. He then walked quickly out his office and towards the elevator.
“Where are you going?” Sally called after him.
“You told me to get some more sleep. I wouldn’t want Une to know,” Wufei called back, tauntingly, “If you want those reports done, they’re on my desk! Waiting for you!”
“Wufei!”
“Don’t blame me. I’m only following doctor’s orders. I’m too young to decide things such as these,” Wufei said. The elevator door closed and he went down to the parking lot.
“I didn’t know he had a sense of humor like that,” Sally said. Then she realized he left her with five reports to do by nine the next morning. She sighed and went to finish the reports, cursing Wufei the whole time.
Sunday, June 30 AC 198
“Master Quatre,” an employee said, “someone has just ordered a large amount of gundanium.”
“What? Who?” Quatre asked amidst all the paper.
“They asked for three different amounts, all small, but when we checked them out, they all seem to be from one company.”
“What company is that?”
“D.O.N. The owner is JL Khushrenada.”
“Khushrenada?”
“Yes sir, he is an uncle of Treize Khushrenada and Dorothy Catalonia, that young lady you know.”
“What would he want with gundanium? Isn’t D.O.N. focused on plant and animal research?”
“They are now, sir. I also thought the order was strange, especially its quantity and the fact that they tried to hide it from us. What do you think this means?”
“I don’t know. Don’t fill out the papers or order. Contact Mr.-”
“It is Duke Khushrenada, actually, sir.”
“Contact Duke Khushrenada and tell him I wish to speak with him about his order.”
“Very well, sir,” the employee left to perform his duties.
“Hello, Little Brother,” Iria said as she popped up on the vid-screen.
“Hello, Iria,” Quatre said.
“Is this a bad time?”
“No, not at all”
“Good. I know your big birthday is coming up and….”
“Big birthday?”
“Quatre, you’re turning eighteen! Don’t you remember?”
“No, I forgot about it. I guess I’ve been focusing too much on the company.”
“I know you have. I really would like to help you, but the hospital needs me too much right now.”
“I know, Iria. I’m fine, really.”
“No, you’re not. I can tell just by looking at you that you need to rest more. Anyway, since it is your big birthday, all of us, your sisters that is, have decided to find you a wife!”
“You what?”
“A wife. By eighteen you are expected to soon announce a wedding. Of course, we definitely don’t expect that. I’m sure Rasid wouldn’t be too thrilled either. I don’t want my baby brother to grow up that fast.”
“Iria….”
Iria laughed, “I know you don’t like it when I do things like that, but I can’t help it. Now, you just need a date for your party.”
“I was just planning on something simple for my party, nothing too big.”
“Nonsense! The Peacecrafts, Catalonias, Khushrenadas, Kennedies, Gateses, and the Noventas all have big birthday parties, so you will have one too.”
“Really, Iria, just listen”
“Quatre, you are letting us throw you this party whether you like it or not. We hardly ever see you nowadays. Please, Quatre? Please?”
“Fine,” Quatre sighed. He didn’t seem to have a choice.
“Good! Because Maria and Gloria have already booked a place and a band, Janna is sending out invitations soon too. I hope you get a date for the big day!” Iria hung up.
“I wonder if this ever happened to father….” Quatre speculated, and then began to call his apparent date.
Tuesday, July 2 AC 198-16:00
Dorothy was nervous. She never thought she wouldd be this nervous of her cousin’s arrival. She had no idea why, but she was. She started to pace back and forth in her foyer. Weather had apparently made her arrival delayed.
“Miss Dorothy, your cousin has just arrived,” announced an employee.
Dorothy mumbled thanks and went to greet Melita. Melita stood by her limo, a standard white one, and smiled at Dorothy. In one hand she clutched her purse, and in the other she clutched a strange item wrapped in brown paper.
“It is a pleasure to see you again after all this time, Melita. I am sure it was quite a long trip here,” Dorothy said with a forced smile.
“Yes, it was a long trip, but it was worth it. I got to know all of my cousins except you. Considering we’re the only female grandchildren, I thought it would be nice if we had our own special bond,” Melita responded in what seem like a forced smile as well, “Aren’t you nineteen now?”
“Yes, I am. And you’re twenty?”
“Oui, it seems you are all grown up my dear cousin.”
Dorothy was not sure how to respond to this, so she just stared. She was not sure if Melita was joking at her expense or if she thought Dorothy was just a child despite their one-year apart.
“Oh, I have something for you,” Melita handed Dorothy the brown package.
“Thank you,” Dorothy said, “It is not a holiday nor is it my birthday though.”
“Well, it is a gift I’ve been meaning to return for a few years.”
“I see, well, please, come inside,” Dorothy guided. She and Melita went to the living room and chatted for a few minutes.
“I must go now to my room. Where is it if you don’t mind me asking? I wish to get some rest,” Melita declared and tried to make her voice sound tired. It was only 4:30 PM.
“I imagine that trip wore you out?”
“Yes, it did.”
“Well, I will show you to your room. Surely, your things are there by now.”
“Surely.”
Dorothy led Melita to the room she had set aside for her. Dorothy then went to her own room and opened the gift Melita had given her. When she opened it, she was surprised to find…
“KIARA! I had forgotten all about you,” Dorothy cried. She hugged the doll and examined it. She put the doll on a shelf and went to talk to Melita, her “dear” cousin, about why she stole the doll.
Outside Melita’s room, Dorothy heard Melita on the vid-phone.
“Yes, Father, I know. I gave her the doll. I can’t believe how far back you’ve been planning this,” Melita said.
“Well, the objective has changed numerous times, but the main plan remains the same. As long as Dorothy has the doll, you are one step closer to getting ‘her.’ Wherever Dorothy goes, I want you there too. Don’t let your cousin go to any parties or things and leave you behind,” said Melita’s father; Dorothy recognized him as James Lee Khushrenada.
“Of course father. I don’t see who I’m going after.”
“Melita, you will learn soon. In a few days I’ll tell you. Then you can begin to contrive a way to get ‘her.’ I want you to learn the flow of the household first.”
“Yes, Father”
“Dorothy doesn’t suspect anything about this call, does she?”
“No, I told her I was tired and needed to take a nap.”
“That’s my girl.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“Now, I need to go attend to other ‘business.’ It appears young Winner has found out about my request for all the gundanium. I have to speak with him.”
“Oh my, what do you think will happen?”
“Nothing bad, Melita. Winner is not the kind that would terminate the order. He probably just delayed the paperwork. I will be able to at least get a little bit of gundanium from him.”
“You will not have enough for what you need then. You need a lot more than he will willingly give to you. How do you expect to get the rest?”
“With time I’ll get it. I have found out from informants that his sisters are throwing a big party for his birthday. They have told me all about his date. All I have to do is grab the girl, and he will gladly give up anything for her.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I trust these informants.”
“Good.”
“I will speak with you in a few days, Child.”
“Yes, Father.”
Melita cut the connection and lay down for a nap. Dorothy stepped back and went to call a few people, namely Quatre, Une, and Zechs.
Tuesday, July 2 AC 198-21:05
“Zechs, you have call,” Noin announced.
“From whom?”
“Dorothy Catalonia on Earth.”
“Dorothy?” Zechs said as he went over to the vid-phone.
“Zechs?” Dorothy said over the phone. Her face was covered in static a bit.
“Yes, Dorothy. What is it?” said Zechs in a concerned tone.
“I overheard something that Melita was saying to her father.”
“Why were you eavesdropping in the first place?”
“She had given me a present when she came. She went to her room, she said it was for a nap, and I went to mine to look at the gift. The gift turned out to be Kiara, you remember her?”
“I remember Kiara and that we searched for her for days.”
“Well, I went to go talk to Melita about taking my favorite doll when I heard her on the phone with her father and not taking a nap. He said the doll is the first step in getting some girl. I don’t know who the girl is, but neither does Melita. He said he’d tell her in a few days. Melita is supposed to get familiar with my house and then not let me out of her sight. Melita will take the girl, whoever she is, when she gets the opportunity.”
“Have you told Une?”
“Yes, the Preventers already know. I thought you might like to know.”
“Since that girl will most likely be Relena?”
“Yes…and I heard something else.”
“What is that?”
“Melita’s father, JL Khushrenada, ordered a large amount of gundanium from Quatre’s company. They had tried to use a few fake names, but Quatre saw through it. He’s meeting with Quatre and is planning on only getting a small amount.”
“He wants gundanium? Well Quatre would never let out such a huge amount.”
“Well….”
“What?”
“Quatre’s sisters are throwing him a birthday party, a big one. He needs a date for it.”
“And James Khushrenada found out about it?”
“Yes.”
“So he plans on using Quatre’s date to get what he wants, right?”
“That is what he told Melita.”
“I see…thank you for telling me.”
“What are you going to do, Zechs?”
“I think it is time for Noin and me to visit my sister in person,” Zechs said as he cut off the connection. He turned to Noin and told her about the conversation.
“What would anyone want with gundanium? That much anyway. The only thing you could use that much for is…”
“Mobile suit factories.”
“You think he’s planning on making mobile suits? Why?”
“I don’t know. I wish I knew. If we knew who the girl was, we might be able to figure it out.”
“It sounds like he plans on taking two girls now that Quatre saw through his scheme.”
“Yes, Quatre’s date…and another mystery girl.”
“Do you know who Quatre’s date is?”
“Yes, you remember her? She went to Relena’s school briefly,” Zechs told her, “Amaya Vandivier.”
“Vandivier? Amaya?”
“Yes”
“She was always that quiet one who never hung out with the others.”
“Yes, that is her. I am sure that is the one Quatre will take to his party. I’m sure Dorothy will also tell Quatre.”
“Yes,” Noin said and gazed out the window to the tiny village of Mars, “So many things are happening on Earth and the Colonies. They just seem so far away…yet very close at the same time.”
Thursday, July 4 AC 198-17:15
“Wufei, you remember what we’re doing tonight?” Sally asked.
“Going to Catalonia’s house for dinner,” Wufei told her matter-of-factly.
“At least you remember. Here, Une got a call from Dorothy. She wrote down the important things. I thought you might want to read it,” Sally told him. Wufei quickly read the note. The paper was closer than the paper should be for someone to read it.
“Wufei, did you lose your contacts again?” Sally asked.
“Woman, they are only good for one month and the month has run out. I haven’t gone back to get more of them,” Wufei replied indignantly.
“You need to go get some more. Why don’t you wear your glasses then? I used to see you wear them all the time in the morning.”
Wufei grumbled something.
“What was that?”
“Maxwell broke them a few weeks ago.”
“Why was Duo anywhere near your glasses?”
“It’s a long story that I do not feel the need to go into.”
“Fine,” Sally sighed, “What do you think about the note?”
“It seems interesting. I can see why Dorothy would be worried,” Wufei said.
“Now, aren’t you glad that I prearranged this dinner?” Sally said, gloating slightly.
Wufei grunted. Sally started to gather her things. Wufei simply took his keys and waited impatiently for Sally to finish.
Thursday, July 4 AC 198-19:30
“Melita, our dinner guests have arrived,” Dorothy said as she leaned on the frame of Melita’s door to her room.
“Who is coming?” Melita asked innocently as she brushed her hair.
“Preventers,” Dorothy said. She smiled a bit as Melita froze for a second before she resumed brushing her hair.
“Preventers? Why would you call them?” Melita asked.
“They’re friends, sort of. Sally Po and her partner, Chang Wufei.”
“I see…you know them personally?”
“Yes”
“Oh, that is nice.”
“You seemed a bit worried when I mentioned our guests’ occupation,” Dorothy said, “Any reason?”
“Uh, no, no reason. I just have heard about how they can….”
“Yes?”
“Just rumors,” Melita said uncomfortably.
“Well I’d ask what the rumors were, but we don’t want to keep our guests waiting,” Dorothy said. She and Melita went down to the dining room where Wufei and Sally were already seated. They stood up as their hostesses came in.
“Thank you for coming,” Dorothy said. They all sat down and waited for the servants to bring out their food. They made small talk in the first and second courses, but when dessert came, Wufei decided just to come out and say it.
“What did you do during the war, Melita?” he asked.
“I…I…” Melita stuttered.
“I remember someone, your father I believe, said you had gone to stay in Relena’s school,” Sally offered.
“Oh. Oh, yes,” Melita said with a nervous smile.
“But, Melita, I went to her school. I never saw you there. I recently had lunch with Miss Relena. She said she never remembers your name appearing in any of her files,” Dorothy said, Melita started to squirm some more, and Dorothy finished, “Sylvia Noventa was with us at lunch. She said that you were with her the whole time during the war. You were with some man that I’m told sabotaged Oz factories, Ethan Lenexa.”
“I…I…I…” Melita couldn’t take it anymore. She wasn’t very strong with confrontations.
“Father said that no one would find out!” Melita started to cry uncontrollably. Sally and Wufei were taken aback, but Dorothy knew her cousin would give in that easily. She smiled smugly in this small victory.
“Melita, Dorothy overheard your conversation with your father. Tell us what is going on and you won’t get into too much trouble,” Sally said.
“Y-you promise?” Melita asked between the sobs.
“Yes,” Wufei said.
Melita told them about what her father had said, about the shadowed figure, about how she had helped Ethan get to Oz bases and the information on them. All in all, Wufei and Sally decided her current information was of no use. They needed her to get more information from her father.
“Here, when your father calls later, make sure you’re wearing this pin,” Sally said.
“Okay,” sniffled Melita, “What will I say if my father asks about it?”
“Say Dorothy gave it to you,” Sally told her.
“I guess that will work,” Melita said, unsure.
“We have to go now. Just let us know when you finish speaking to him,” Wufei said as he and Sally got up. They said good byes and went to their cars. Dorothy shut the door behind them.
“Th-that went well?” Melita said, trying to be cheery through her tears that she was still shedding.
“Yes….” Dorothy said. She glanced at her cousin and went up to her room. Melita watched Dorothy go upstairs. She mentally kicked herself for being so weak and then followed her.
Outside, Wufei and Sally were having doubts about Melita.
“She was way too easy to get through,” Sally said.
“I agree. I do not see why they would use her then,” Wufei said. He held his chin in deep thought.
“It might be a setup,” Sally suggested.
“That is what I thought,” Wufei agreed, “But we’ll just have to trust her for right now.”
“Yes,” Sally said. They got in their cars and drove away.
Friday, July 5 AC 198
“Master Quatre,” Rasid called, “There is a man on the phone for you, JL Khushrenada.”
“Thank you Rasid,” Quatre thanked. He had come to Earth to meet with Mr. Khushrenada personally.
“Mr. Winner,” greeted Khushrenada, “I heard you had a problem with my order?”
“Yes, I do,” Quatre said, “You ordered a large amount of gundanium, enough to make a few mobile suits. I believe you used the names Shirr Co., Cherokee Inc., Cedro, and Targhee Enterprises along with your own.”
“I see,” Khushrenada laughed a little, “You’ve seen through that charade. I just needed the alloy for a new security system my people have worked up.”
“It sounds like a good system. If that is all it is, why didn’t you just ask for the gundanium and send in the plans to prove you weren’t behind any wrong doing,” Quatre asked.
“The plans aren’t drawn up right now. I am going to need much more gundanium than I ordered, so I thought I’d just order a bit to get started,” explained Khushrenada.
“I see,” Quatre said skeptically.
“We have plans, but they aren’t legible. They make sense only to myself and its designer.”
“Well, perhaps you can explain them to me one day soon. I am on Earth right now. We can meet anytime that is good for you,” Quatre suggested.
“I will keep that in mind when I find an opening in my busy schedule,” Khushrenada said with a smile, he was a real businessman, “I am sure you can relate to swarming schedule.”
“Yes,” Quatre said. JL Khushrenada cut the connection abruptly before Quatre could finish the one-syllable word. A servant then handed Quatre a note. He read it for a few minutes.
“Master Quatre?” the servant asked, “Is something wrong?”
“Yes, give this note to Rasid and Abdul. They’ll understand,” instructed Quatre.
“Yes sir,” nodded the servant, “Is there anything else?”
“Prepare a ship for me, please.”
Sunday, July 7 AC 198-12:00
“Duo, have you found it yet?” Hilde asked. Duo had just walked in the room.
“I’ve been looking for over a week now,” Duo said.
“I know you have,” she reminded him, “But you didn’t answer my question.”
“Well…” Duo pulled out the arcet with the insignia requested. The metal arcet gleamed in the light. Duo took the gadget and sat down at the table. He began to take it apart.
“Duo!” shrieked Hilde, “What are you doing?”
“If someone wants that much for this little thing, something is up. I want to see why,” he explained.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“If they want it that badly, they won’t mind if I tinker around with it a bit. They might even raise the price,” he said.
“Well, let me know if you find anything interesting,” she said as she got to the door.
“Okay…”
“I’ll be back in time for dinner,” she called from the door, “I’m going out for awhile.”
“I’ll be right here,” he said.
Hilde said one last good bye and set out for her day of shopping. She walked down the street and noticed the circus was in town.
“Didn’t Duo have a friend that’s in that circus?” she thought to herself. She looked in and saw that there was not a show going on and it seemed that most of the performers were either in their trailers or around the colony, shopping most likely.
“Are you looking for someone?” a voice asked behind Hilde.
“Well, sort of, my boyfriend has a friend that works in the circus. I was just glancing to see if he was there,” Hilde explained as she turned around to face a woman a little taller than she was.
“What’s your boyfriend’s name?” the woman asked.
“Duo Maxwell,” Hilde answered.
“Hey! I think I know who you’re looking for!”
“Really?”
“Yes, Trowa has talked about a person by that name. At least I think he has.”
“Well, do you mind if I speak with him?”
“Of course not, come on, Trowa rarely goes out for shopping reasons; I usually buy whatever he might need, so I think it’s safe to say he’s in his trailer,” said the woman, who had introduced herself as Catherine Bloom.
“How are you?” Hilde asked while they walked.
“I’m fine. I’m glad finally to get a day off. We hardly ever get a day when we don’t have a performance. It can be tiring sometimes,” Catherine chatted.
“I’m sure,” Hilde responded.
“Well, here’s his trailer,” Catherine said as she knocked on his door. Trowa opened it quickly.
“Trowa, this girl says you know her boyfriend, Duo Maxwell,” Catherine said.
“Yes, I know Duo. Hello, Hilde,” Trowa said. He and Hilde shook hands and then the three of them sat down to drink some of Catherine’s soup.
“You remember me,” Hilde said.
“Yes,” Trowa replied, “Is there something wrong with Duo?”
“Well…sort of,” Hilde said.
“Sort of?” asked Catherine.
“This man is willing to pay a lot of money for something we have,” Hilde informed.
“I thought that was good,” Catherine said with a slight laugh.
Hilde laughed a little too, “Usually yes, but we had to have a certain one that had an insignia on it. The thing that has Duo so worked up is…well.”
“Yes?” asked Trowa.
“He asked for a part that is found in any hardware store. He asked a lot of money, a lot more than anyone is usually willing to pay.”
Trowa thought for a few minutes and the three eventually went back to Hilde and Duo’s to see if Duo had any progress.
Sunday, July 7 AC 198-17:25
Relena sighed as she watched the sun set behind the mountains. Dorothy and her cousin were in their rooms, getting settled before dinner. She was not sure if this was the best move, but the Preventers insisted it was. Melita would talk with her father, try to get as much information as she could, and then act like she executed her father’s wishes. Wufei and Sally said they would make sure that no harm happens to whoever this girl was. Of course, everyone who knew about this thought it was Relena they were after. And why should they not? She was taken captive or attempted at too many times for her to count.
“I wonder why this is all happening,” she mumbled to herself. She recalled when she had found out about the gundanium order that had been made to Quatre.
“Enough to make a small army of mobile suits…” she repeated. She could not fathom why anyone would not want peace, especially one fought so hard for. She also remembered when Trowa and Duo had called a few hours earlier to say that someone had ordered a small part and offered tons of money for it. They had taken it apart and had found “very interesting things.” With everyone being so paranoid, they refused to say for fear of someone being able to intercept it.
She looked up at the colorful sky and whispered, “This is all happening so fast…. It doesn’t feel right.”
In a guest house that had been abandoned but still had maids taking care of it, a man and woman stayed there and observed Relena and all her guests. The woman asked, “They still do not know the women that they’re after?”
“They still think that there is only one woman,” a man answered.
“Why don’t you tell them? I know you don’t like to get involved now that everything is over, but they need your help on this one. You know too much to just stay in the shadows,” the woman sipped a liquid.
The man did not blink, but kept his stare on Relena, “We still don’t know if that information was just planted. I’ll go see them soon if you want, but I don’t like it.”
“Oh, Heero.”
How was it? Please let me know! Quatresprincess2002@yahoo.com