Disclaimer: Me no own Gundam Wing.

Orientation Day

Sally Po looked out at all the young faces in the audience. They were the new group of Preventers, highly skilled men and women who had pledged their lives to the protection of peace in the solar system. And consequently to the protection of Relena Dorlain Peacecraft the symbol of peace between the colonies and earth.

Today was their orientation. Today they would see the inner workings of the Peace Barge. They would get to meet their instructors, see other Preventers in action and even get to meet Milliardo Peacecraft. She started off the presentation talking about the goal of the Preventers and then proceeded into describing the actual jobs that the Preventers do.

"Usually we keep a pair of operatives with Ms. Peacecraft at all times. One who stays in close proximity to her, another to keep in constant contact with Barge. Although some of Ms. Peacecraft's security force is aware of our presense and have even given us access to thier control area, Relena doesn't know that the Preventers are acting as a backup security force. Note that we are a backup force. It is not our intention to step on any toes within the Cinq Kingdom's imperial guard. We always allow them to handle violations that come up, only acting in times of dire need. For this reason the Preventers are prohibited from making contact with Ms. Peacecraft. We guard her from the shadows, never making our presence known."

"We have a tracking device implanted on Ms. Peacecraft that allows us to immediately locate her via GPS technology in the event of an emergency. Our satellites are capable of zeroing in on an image within a 10 foot radius on the earth. Observe."

With that Sally signalled to Wufei who punched a code into the computer and then watched along with everyone else in the room as the satellite zoomed in on Relena. She was partly obscured while sitting under a tree on the Cinq Kingdom's palace grounds. Sally faced the audience and began to address the students when several snickers caught her attention. She turned back to the screen in time to see Relena dart away from the tree. She was holding a book in her hands and waving it behind her playfully. Relena stopped and held the book in front of her face, her eyes peered over the edge at someone under the tree. Relena began to nibble on the edge of the book. Suddenly a young man darted from under the tree and clasped his hands around Relena's wrists. He was wearing a Preventer's uniform. He had messy dark brown hair and an intense look on his face. He took the book from Relena and swatted her in the bottom with it. Someone in the audience giggled. Sally looked back at the audience and most of them were desperately repressing a fit of laughter. One man in the back with long platinum blonde hair looked like he was having some kind of stroke. His eyes were bugging out of his head and his hands were held out in front of him like he was strangling an imaginary Heero Yuy. When Sally looked back at the screen she saw that Heero had lifted Relena over his shoulder and was carrying her back under the tree.

Sally sighed and turned to her partner. "Thank you Wufei." Sally indicated that he should cut the image. "There are exceptions to every rule. Let's proceed onto the control area located within the Cinq Kingdom's royal palace where our other operative is working." Wufei punched a button and the control area appeared on the screen; the room was empty. Sally sighed again, she knew where Heero was, but what had happened to Duo? "I'm sure he is on the palace grounds, Wufei please find Mr. Maxwell with the palace's surveillence cameras." Wufei gave her a look, silently questioning her request, but did as he was asked. Soon Duo's image appeared on the screen. He wasn't far from Heero and Relena, in fact he was hiding behind a rather large bush about 25 feet from the tree the couple had disappeared under. 'What's he doing?' Sally wondered. She figured it out soon enough when the object in Duo's hands came into focus. It was a camera. Sally looked back at Wufei and he quickly cut the transmission, giving her a look that basically said, 'I told you so.'

"Well now you know what not to do, let's move on." Sally half-smiled as she tried to salvage the carefully planned presentation that she had prepared. Before she could go on a red button started flashing on the console. "What's going on?"

"Shots have been fired near the princess!" Someone to the left of Wufei shouted. Wufei immediately brought the surveillance cameras back online. On the screen Sally could see that Heero had his gun levelled at Duo who was yelling and holding up the ruins of his camera, film dangling to the ground. Relena ran up behind Heero and wrapped an arm around his waist. She was whispering something in his ear. 'Probably trying to calm him down,' thought Sally. She noticed that Relena's jacket was gone and her shirt was no longer tucked into her skirt. Sally looked to the back of the room. Zechs was gone. 'Dammit can things get any worse?' she wondered. "Can you get audio Wufei? Is everyone down there alright?"

Wufei hit a button on his console and suddenly the room was filled with Duo's cursing.

"Damn it! That was a three hundred dollar camera, Heero!"

"Duo no hentai!"

"Heero put the gun down." Relena's voice was a barely audible. Duo was muttering something uncomprehensible.

"Not until I found out what else he's got snap shots of."

"I don't have anything, look at this! The film's ruined! Most of it was pictures of Sally and Wufei anyway."

The speaker cut out when Wufei slammed his fist down on the console. Sally could feel the blood rushing to her face. On the screen Relena was still whispering into Heero's ear and her hand was stroking Heero's outstretched arm. Heero eventually lowered his arm, he said something to Duo and then he and Relena walked back to the tree. When they emerged again, Relena was carrying her jacket, Heero was carrying his book and they strolled hand in hand to the palace. Duo was still muttering, picking up the pieces of his camera. Wufei was looking at the screen with murder in his eyes, so Sally hit the button to cut the image herself. She was mortified, but she just had to swallow it and move on with the orientation.

"I think now would be a good time to move on to the hanger bay where the mobile suits are kept." Sally led the group from the control room to the hanger bay. The new recruits seemed pleased with this, most of them looking up at the Tauruses with a look of anticipation on their faces. When they got to the end of the hanger bay, where the gundams were kept, the group just craned thier heads and gawked. Sally had been speaking about safety procedures and maintenance issues but decided to remain silent and just let them look for a little while. It was obvious that many of these young men and women thought of the gundams as heroes and weren't listening to a thing she said. Sadly the silence didn't last long.

"I'm sorry Trowa. How many times do I have to say it before you forgive me." Quatre's voice drifted to Sally from somewhere below her.

"It's unforgivable Quatre, how could you?" Trowa's voice was quiet as always, but she could still hear the hurt in it. The voices sounded a little ghostly and Sally realized that they must be up near the Heavy Arms shoulder. There was a major vent there that circulated air from the top of the hanger back down to the floor.

"I don't know how it happened Trowa. It just came out. You know I didn't mean it." Quatre really sounded sorry. Sally tried to move the group she didn't want to eavesdrop on anymore private conversations today.

"Let's move on people." The group ignored her.

"But to say that, then. Quatre, I thought you loved me." Trowa voice actually broke.

"I do love you Trowa, you know that. I love you more than anything. I don't know why I said it, I swear I'll never do it again. Please Trowa...I'm sorry." Quatre was really pleading now.

Sally had to move these people. She clapped her hands together and most of the group turned to look at her.

"But how can you? How can you love me and still scream Sandrock when we're in bed together?"

Sally thought she heard a muffled cry then. "Alright everybody let's move on, there's more to see!" She then began to wave the group forward with a fake smile plastered to her face and her eyes as wide as saucers. As the last few recruits shuffled out of view of the gundams, Sally could hear Quatre's reassuring voice. "It's just a machine Trowa. Sandrock could never compare to you. You're the best, you know that."

The bay was partially empty with Wing Zero and Deathscythe gone. Heero and Duo had taken them to the Cinq Kingdom so they could practice maneuvers on earth. Epyon was supposed to be in the last berth, but it wasn't. Sally wondered briefly if she should call Heero and warn him.

Sally led the recruits from the hanger to the dining hall. She really needed a break. She asked Hilde to grab her a cup of tea and then took a seat in front of the vidphone. Amazingly Duo was now in the control area where he was supposed to be.

"Hey Sally what's up?" Duo was smiling at her, totally oblivious to the trouble he had caused.

"Duo do you remember what today is?"

"Ahh, it's Monday right?" He looked confused.

"Today is the new recruits orientation."

Duo smiled. "Oh that's right, Hilde told me about that. She said you were really psyched about it. So how's it going so far?"

Sally smiled patiently as she relayed the days events to Duo. She skipped the details of the conversation she overheard in the hanger bay. Duo looked embarrassed.

"Geez, I'm really sorry Sally. You know Heero and I will both make it up to you. Man, Heero's gonna die when I tell him. You know he's such a private person, he's not gonna like how everyone found out about his and Relena's 'special friendship' as he calls it." Duo snickered at this.

"Yes, well Duo, that's kinda why I called. Zechs was in the audience and he was quite upset. Epyon's gone. I hope Zechs calms down before he gets there, but I think that you should tell Heero to get out of there. Have him return to Barge."

"Oh yeah, no problem."

"Oh and Duo, there aren't any more pictures of Wufei and me lying around are there?"

"What!? Oh haha, you heard that too. No there aren't I swear. Heero killed them all." Duo looked nervous but then smiled and waved.

'He's getting weirder.' Sally thought. "Well just to make sure Duo, I want you to know that if you ever take pictures of Wufei and I together again, I will tell Hilde about the time I found you in that supply closet with, was it Ms. Niles?" Duo's eyes shot open and Sally heard a crash from behind her. Hilde was standing there with a look of horror on her face and a broken cup of tea at her feet.

"Hilde, it's not what you think, honest! She was helping me find a mop!" Duo was yelling through the vidphone.

"Duo you two timing pig! How could you?! You jerk! I'm gonna kill you!" Hilde grabbed the vidphone and began shaking it.

"Sally tell her it wasn't like that! We weren't doing anything!" Duo's image began to fill with static as the cord for the vidphone was being yanked out of the wall by Hilde's fit or rage.

"Dammit Duo when I get my hands on you, I'm gonna rip that stupid braid right out of your head!"

"Hilde...!" Duo's image died as the cord finally gave way. Hilde kicked the vidphone and ran out of the room. Sally sat back down in her chair and put her head on her arms. A pair of strong hands began to massage her shoulders.

"I feel terrible, I hope they don't break up because of this."

"I don't think they will. Hilde is very forgiving and Duo...Well I'm sure he's capable of grovelling his way out of this."

Wufei backed up allowing Sally to get up from the chair. "You know what the worst part of today was Wufei?" Wufei didn't answer just looked at her questioningly. "Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre: Those four and you are the best I have." Sally put her hand on her forehead. "The very best." She stifled a sob and Wufei just looked at the floor sadly.