Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Behind the Facade ❯ "Relena, meet Dr. J." ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Okay, first off, I know Dr. S didn't train Trowa, but for the sake of the story let's just pretend he did. That minor change isn't really big, and it doesn't affect the rest of the GW storyline cuz Trowa never says anything about his training. For all we know, S could've justpretended that he didn't know Trowa to cover up the fact that he was secretly training him to take the real Trowa Barton's place all along! Okay, I'm done ranting about that, a BIG thanx to everyone who's reviewed so far and to everyone at the Love's Reflection ML who encouraged me to keep writing on my stories! ^_^ Thanx! And thanx to my beta-reader, Makoto Yuy! And now, on with the story!

Angel~

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I'm getting SOO tired of having to repeat myself over and over and over and over . . .

Behind the Facade
By Angel of Death

~~~CHAPTER FIVE-"Relena, meet Dr. J."~~~

~*~*~THREE YEARS LATER~*~*~

"I get to what!?" Six-year-old Relena Peacecraft's excited voice seemed to ring through all of the Richard Carter Military Academy, making her "Grampa" wince. Richard smiled, rubbing his ears, and nodded.

"Yes, you get to go on your first mission tomorrow." he said cautiously, expecting another loud scream from the young girl whom he now regarded as his own granddaughter. He wasn't to be disappointed. The next scream to emit from the young soldier-in-training seemed to be even louder than the last, and she grinned as she danced around Richard's office, lighting up the whole room instantly. Finally, she calmed down and snapped into a military salute for Richard, unable to hide the twinkling in her eyes and barely able to stifle her grin. Richard feigned sternness as he appraised the girl before him(who was already a brown-belt in the martial arts, a bulls-eye in target practice, second-fastest swimmer at the academy, third-fastest track-runner in the academy, on top of numerous other things), nearly unable to keep from grinning himself. About to burst into laughter, he handed her some files.

"Here are the details of your mission. You'll need to leave around 11:30 tomorrow morning to be there on time, so you'd better go gather whatever you'll need." he said, but his charge was out the door before he could finish. The moment the door closed behind her, he collapsed into his chair and gave way to a fit of laughter. When his laughter subsided, he sat up and wiped his eyes, shaking his head. That girl, she's so bright and happy. How is it that she's retained her humanity and her happiness through all that I've had to put her through? he thought incredulously, just at the vidphone on his desk beeped. Still lost in thought, he pushed the "talk" button absently, and the face of a man not much older than him who was wearing a lab-coat popped up on the screen.

"So, tomorrow's the big day, eh?" the man's course voice said casually. The comment seemed to drag Richard back to the present, and his eyes darted to the screen, his forehead creasing into a frown.

"Yes it is, J. And I'm quite confident that she'll do just fine." he said curtly, nodding at the face on the screen. The man on screen smiled a slightly sinister smile that anyone who didn't know him could have taken for more than a bit evil. But Richard knew better and waited patiently for what the man would say next. The man raised his left hand, or rather, a scary-looking robotic arm that had a three-"fingered" claw at the end. He clicked the "fingers" together and adjusted his small, metal glasses with his right hand.

"Did I say anything to imply that I thought she wouldn't?" he said, a little too innocently. Richard slammed a hand on his desk.

"Dr. J, a beg you not to insult Relena. Just because I have trained her a tad differently than you have trained yours, does NOT mean that she isn't just as good or better!" he growled angrily, glaring at the men on-screen, Dr. J. Dr. J chuckled.

"Very well, I shall try to keep my impudent comments to myself. But to get down to business, the others and I would like to come and see you to discuss the plan again. What time would Relena be away? She can't know about them just yet, just like they themselves don't know about each other." Richard thought for a moment.

"How 'bout you come here in exactly 2 months to this day. I'll make sure Relena's gone." he replied. Dr. J nodded and cut the connection. Richard sighed and slumped back in his chair, recalling the day he had "introduced" his fellow scientists to Relena . . .

~~~FLASHBACK(2-years-ago)~~~

Relena peered nervously up at Richard, fidgeting with the ends of her hair as they walked to the secure building at the Academy, where Relena would be introduced to Richard's colleagues.

"Are you sure they won't hate me?" she asked anxiously as they drew nearer to the small building. Richard chuckled, patting his charge's shoulder.

"Don't worry so much, Relena. You'll be fine. If they ask you to demonstrate some of what you've learned, just take your time and be honest. You've already been training for a year, I promise you'll do just fine." he said comfortingly. They had reached the building. Relena took a shaky breath, and tried to stand a little taller, while the butterflies that had taken residence in the pit of Richard's stomach suddenly fluttered into vibrant life. He unconsciously stood a little taller as well, wondering what the scientists' reactions would be. Then, more than a bit nervously, he opened the door and stepped inside, flipping on a light, which revealed five aging men in white lab-coats sitting in metal chairs at a white table in the middle of an otherwise-bare room. The white-washed walls offered no comfort or reassurance to either Richard or Relena, nor did the seemingly-cold, white-tiled floor. The five men stood up and stepped forward to shake Richard's hand, each in turn. They still hadn't caught sight of Relena, who had resorted to hiding behind Richard's back.

"It's good to see you again, Dr. C." said a slightly-younger version of Dr. J. Richard gave a tight smile.

"If it must be Dr. something, it's Dr. Carter. Unlike you five, I don't really like a single letter to be my name." he said, somewhat curtly. Dr. J chuckled and tried to peer behind Richard's back.

"So, where is the young lad?" he said jovially, or as jovially as he ever got. The nervousness suddenly became quite apparent in Richard's face, and he started fiddling with the end to his shirt as he tried to find words adequate enough to speak.

"Well, J, you see . . ." But Relena, having mustered up her courage, stepped boldly out from behind Richard's back with a determined look on her face and held out her hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Relena Peacecraft. I'm Dr. Carter's pupil." she said simply. Dr. J appeared to have frozen, then he burst out laughing. Wiping his eyes, he patted Richard's shoulder.

"Nice joke, Richard, you always were a jokester." He rubbed his hands together. "Now, where is your real pupil and how in the world did you manage to find a child that looks so much like the former Princess?"

"Princess?" Relena said, turning accusingly to Richard. "Princess? What's he talkin' about, Richard? Tell me!" Richard winced, eyes darting from Dr. J to Relena and back again. He took a deep breath and turned to J.

"J, this is my pupil." he said nervously, motioning to the confused Relena, who was more curious than angry. J, in the meantime, was searching Richard's eyes for any sign of a joke. When he found none, his eyes widened and he turned to stare at Relena, who met his gaze boldly.

"You're-you're-you're-"

"Yes, she is Princess Relena." Richard said, putting an arm around the girl's shoulders. Dr. J's eyes widened even further.

"You can't be serious, Richard! What are you thinking!? You can't train a Peacecraft to be a Perfect Soldier!"

"That's right, how did she get here in the first place!?" It was another of the scientists who spoke this time, a tall, completely bald man with broad, strong shoulders. Richard looked at him beseechingly.

"Master O, I know this is a bit of a shock to you, but as the most broad-minded of us, surely you can allow me to explain." The other man, Master O, sighed and nodded, motioning for the others to be silent. Richard smiled weakly, pulling Relena a little closer. He went on to explain his conversation with Trista, what he knew of the problem, and how he had decided to train Relena.

"Also, I figured she would be the perfect person for the job because everyone on our world would expect her to be the "opposite" of what I'm teaching her to be, giving her the perfect cover. No-one would ever dream of a Peacecraft having anything to with Operation: Meteor except as a peacemaker." He looked around hopefully. Dr. J stepped forward again.

"Your reasoning is sound, well thought-out, and appears to be workable. Very well, you have my consent as head of this project to train her." Richard relaxed, sighing in sheer relief. He pointed to each scientist, introducing them to Relena.

"That's Master O, his pupil's name is Wufei Chang. That's Dr. S, his pupil is Trowa Barton. That's . . ." Finally, he brought Relena forward to where she was standing about 3 feet away from Dr. J, facing him.

"Relena, meet Dr. J, who's trainee's name is Heero Yuy." Relena hesitantly stuck out her hand. Dr. J looked at it for a moment, then reached out and took it in his. An unspoken agreement to be reasonably tolerant of each other had formed between the scientist and the soldier-in-training, which Richard saw. He smiled. 'Maybe this will work out after all . . .'

~~~END FLASHBACK~~~

Richard smiled, his confidence renewed, and went to check on one of his classes. Unbeknownst to him, Relena had snuck down to Richard's personal basement/laboratory. She stood at the foot of a gigantic, robotic-looking machine that was cloaked in shadow. She smiled slightly and patted in a friendly way.

"The day is drawing nearer, my friend. I go on my first mission tomorrow. That means that it won't be long until you're mine. I can't wait." she whispered, eyes glowing with anticipation. Turning, she crept out of the basement and headed up the stairs to her room. Behind her, two mechanical eyes flared into momentary, vibrant blue life before fading into darkness once more.

TO BE CONTINUED(hopefully) . . .

AN: *laughs maniacally* Not a cliffhanger, but still a great place to stop! Oh, I decided to give you guys the title of the next chapter(couldn't resist *sweatdrop*). It's called:

CHAPTER SIX: "Nice to meet you, Heero."

Am I evil? You decide. *screams of G-boys echo throughout fanfic* ^_^

Angel~