Authors Notes:
Two updates in one month!!! It seems I have this thing rolling once more (this chapter just came pouring out after the inspiration from the last one).
Anyway, when last I left you a LOT happened. I know it was an eventful chapter and I hope you were able to keep up. This should – SHOULD – be updated fairly regularly until it is finished. Hopefully those of you who have continued to read this will find the rest of my story enjoyable and worth reviewing.
For now, here is chapter six. Flashbacks represented in italics!
Disclaimer: I STILL own nothing…
XOXOXO
Chapter Six: Lost in Darkness
XOXOXO
Relena was groggy. The head wound inflicted on her made her vision fuzzy and the ability to concentrate on any certain object in her field of vision was temporarily gone. Though she couldn't see very well in the dark room, she could tell that her hair was heavy and matted with blood. The warmth of her blood was sticky all down her neck and had probably ruined the white dress she was still wearing from the night before. She was now barefoot though. Her teeth mashed together and she remained as quiet as possible. The worst thing would be if those people came back. They had beaten her terribly already and told her their leader had something equally as inviting for her later. She outwardly cringed at the possibilities. They had stormed the mansion while Heero and the others were gone. Her brother was shot right before her very eyes while trying to defend her and the others, and they took all three other women. Hilde… if there was a God in heaven, she hoped that He would be with her now and take care of the pregnant woman somewhere buried within the compound.
The sounds and unexplained warmth heating the panic room gave away that the enemy was storming the mansion and the occupants of the safe rooms all were thinking the same thing. There was only one entrance. What was once a safe place now was a trap none of them had any chance of escaping.
Milliardo grabbed for his gun and practically threw Relena into one of the bedrooms.
"Get in there and lock the door! We have to stall for time until the others get here. I'll hold them off," he instructed harshly.
"I'll help you!" Lucrezia shouted.
"No! Get in there and don't be stubborn."
Sally reached for the radio as gunshots began drilling the solid metal door.
"Heero! They're here Heero, they've found our location! Please… please hurry!" She shouted desperately, pulling her own weapon from its holster and locking the other women into the room. The gunshots were getting louder.
"Shit!" Sally shouted as the radio signal died before she got a response from Heero.
It was quiet for just a moment before the door to the safe rooms was blown clean off. Fires were ravaging the beautiful home and a wave of heat surged in the moment the door was no more. Gunfire came quickly after the explosion. The bedroom was full of worry. Hilde did not cry as she held her abdomen tightly while huddled in the corner. Dorothy stood proudly behind Lucrezia and Sally who both began firing as soon as the door was kicked off of its hinges. Relena knelt by Hilde and tried to comfort her. The obstacles between the enemies and Relena were knocked out, one by one, until they reached her. She could see into the other room and to her horror, saw that Milliardo had been hit and was not moving. There were two soldiers standing near him discussing who all to take.
"Just take me. Leave the others here. I'm the one you want!"
"Heh no way, missy. This loot is too good to pass up. Plus, if you start to go back on your word, we could use some reminders."
They grabbed her and she began to thrash, kicking and hitting. Her foot connected with a sensitive part of the soldier standing in front of her. He sunk in pain while others laughed at his misfortune but when he regained himself he grabbed the first object he could find, which happened to be a leg from an otherwise shattered chair, and hit her as hard as he could over the head with it. Darkness instantly followed.
"Heero," she whispered his name and instantly her eyes fell to the floor. It hadn't been very long ago that his name was still new again to her vocabulary. Why would she have so readily taken him back? Surely she had more sense than that. Someone is gone for six years and then, as soon as he reappears she takes him back without hesitation. It was different this time, though. He was… different. Somehow, he had changed for the better. His eyes were so much more readable and in them she had seen sorrow, regret and… what she hoped to be love. Therefore, being the kind and forgiving person she was, she had taken him back.
She sat with her eyes wide, trying to hold on to the image of his face in her mind. With a resolve to not let them break her because he would soon come for her. For all of them. At least… she could hope that he would be coming for her. There was always that possibility that he wouldn't find her in time. Relena shook her head. That wouldn't be very Heero-like. So for now, she would have to be strong and with any luck, she would not be killed before he could come and get her.
Her vision was slightly less fuzzy now and she tried to take in her surroundings. It was very dark even with the sliver of light sneaking in from under the door. There seemed to be nothing there. Not a chair or carpet or anything… just a hollowed out holding room. A prison cell. Every now and then she would hear someone in the hall next to her stride by, and she would close her eyes and hold her breath. Maybe that way they would not be able to tell that she was awake. The attitude made her feel like a coward, but there was no way she could take on any of these men around her. They had thrown her around like a ragdoll earlier even as she tried to fight them. Kicking one of them in the groin had resulted in her head wound. If she didn't know what these men were capable of, she would have gone peacefully. But she had seen too much brutality and so she fought desperately to get free so she could help the others. Instead, she had landed herself in this cold, dank, non-descript cell covered in her own blood. Relena didn't try to stand or walk around. She felt too dizzy to do that. So she merely stayed propped against the wall behind her. Sleep was her enemy, she kept telling herself. As tempting as it was to drift off suddenly, she fought it hard. With her head injury, she didn't know if she would wake up again.
She inhaled quickly and let her surprise show when the door next to her flew open. A man was standing there, his features shadowed by the light source behind him.
"Let's go, princess," he spat, "the boss would like a few words with you."
He yanked her up violently and she winced in pain.
XOXOXO
Dorothy felt that she, Sally and Lucrezia stood the best chance in a place such as this. With all of their military backgrounds, Sally and Lucrezia's being stronger than her own of course, they were better suited to stand their own ground. She had managed to be thrown into her cell with minimal damage inflicted. If only she could get her hands on a weapon of some sort. Picking the lock seemed futile without one. Until someone came back in the room, she would have no choice but to wait and see. If a soldier approached and he was armed, she might take her chances at getting to his gun. If she could reach one of the other women and help, then she would. Especially Hilde. She would stand an even better chance of getting free if she could find Sally or Lucrezia and both of them work together. The chances of all of that were not in her favor, but she liked those odds over the ones of rotting in her jail cell of sorts and waiting for the worst.
Her thoughts suddenly went to Quatre. With any luck, they had found Duo Maxwell in time. She didn't know him very well, but she knew he was a good person and very genuine; much like Quatre himself. They only spoke in passing for the longest time. He would make frequent trips to the businessman's office for updates and to pass along news of the other pilots. He was also Relena's bodyguard, but when he was on duty he was all business with everyone but Relena. Sometimes Dorothy would be at Quatre's office as well because she acted as his and Relena's go between since both were so busy with their own affairs. Then at his wedding, which she attended with Quatre, she finally got to spend more than a few minutes speaking to him. She had only known Hilde, his bride, a very short time through Relena. Therefore, it could have been very awkward; but it wasn't. They both were quite friendly and so in love, she got caught up in it as well. Duo danced with her at the reception while Quatre shared a waltz with the bride. He cut jokes, some at her own expense, and was nothing but kind and jovial. Only Hilde and Quatre knew at the time that he was sad over Heero's absence. The whole event was something she would always look back on and smile. All but one Gundam pilots and their significant others spending the day doing nothing but enjoying each other's company and the happy event.
"How can a man like you find such happiness?" She asked him during their dance.
"I'm going to ignore the first part of that question and assume you mean loving someone and marrying them like a normal person?" he smiled.
"Yes. With your tainted past… it must be difficult."
"No not really. You can't fight what's in your heart. And I love Hilde. War didn't make me forget how to love. It just made it harder to accept."
"How can you and some of the others feel like that, while the others can't?" she found herself asking.
"Easy. Just because we were all pilots for the Gundams and share similar pasts doesn't make us all the same person. We're all individuals who have grown up and learned how to deal with things differently. Some of us wear our hearts on our sleeve while the rest of us hide emotion. That's all there is to it."
"Congratulations, Duo." She smiled, meaning that in more than one way. She knew exactly who was who in his explanation and also knew it was meant to help her personally in her confusion over Quatre at the time.
"Thank you! You're not as bad as Trowa says," he joked. She let a small half smile take over before the end of their dance.
"Did you and Duo have a good discussion?" Quatre asked, coming back from his dance with Hilde.
"Yes. It was very enlightening."
In some small way, it was Duo that helped her come around to Quatre in the end. She worried for his safety now. A gunshot wound at that proximity was never a good situation. It went to show how violent of a rebel group they were dealing with. Though she once glorified battle beyond all other things, the reality of it seemed hard to ignore. Too many innocent people died during the wars. So that's why she went to work with Relena in the end. She still fenced and took her gun to the range for practice and sport, but when it came to war, a change of heart had occurred. And this… this was just madness.
XOXOXO
Heero briefed Une once more on all the details from the events that had taken place during that day before they both went to interrogate the possible double agent. Wufei had opted not to get involved with the captive and retreated to his office. They found the unknown agent in a holding room, awaiting them patiently. He sat across the metal table under the hanging light and stared at them blankly before Lady Une began the formal questions.
"What is your name?"
"My name is Reginald Lawrence," he responded.
"Where are you from?"
"I was born on Colony L-14. After college I moved to Earth."
"Who do you work for?"
"I work for Officer Lucrezia Noin-Peacecraft in the infiltration unit of Preventers."
"Why were you in the enemy base? She seemed to have no knowledge of your being there the last time we spoke. In fact, she didn't mention sending in any of her agents."
"I went of my own accordance."
"So you broke the rules."
"I had overheard about this group while investigating other, less developed rebel groups. They seemed like a real danger. Instead of going to my superior officer, I acted alone. Foolishly assuming a promotion would come in tow for being assertive."
"Men are fired from Preventers each day for too much assertiveness," Une reminded.
"I realize that. My reasons came from good intentions, though. I didn't want Relena Peacecraft to be in any danger."
"You and I both know I cannot look into your records because of the infiltration unit's policies, so therefore, why should I or Preventer Yuy trust anything you might say?"
In the infiltration unit, there were no documented Preventers. In fact, for the department's own protection, only certain officers even knew of the infiltration unit. Therefore, if a soldier was undocumented, he could freely join and spy on rebel groups without putting his life in danger.
"Why don't you ask Preventer Noin-Peacecraft? She can vouch for me."
"If you are who you say you are, then you should know very well why we cannot do that. She and all of the women located at the mansion were abducted."
"What?" He said, caught off guard, "That was not the plan I heard of, I assure you. The only individual the sub-leader wanted was Relena. They must have taken them to force Relena to turn over her life. If that is the case, I don't know if they will be safe or not. If you haven't figured out by now, this group is out for blood."
"Why? What is the motivation?"
"I wish I could tell you. This group works like a finely oiled machine. Everyone has a job to do and they are only told what the leaders think they need to know. I have been snooping where I shouldn't be and that is the only reason I know more than the rest. Lower end soldiers are only told one thing. Relena's peace is an illusion and her reign over Earth and space must be brought to an end so that a real politician can take her place. They want her dead. Seems like revenge to me, but for what I am not sure."
At some point Heero's threatening eyes had disappeared behind his bangs. Lawrence tried not to look at him because of the menacing aura sent out by the other uniformed Preventer. It was unsettling the way he was probably watching him from beneath those heavy bangs of dark brown hair like prey. He focused on Lady Une mostly. She was slightly less intimidating.
"How do we know for sure that you aren't leading us down a false path so we waste too much time finding where Relena really is?" Heero finally asked.
"You don't. But if you have any hopes of finding her, search for the sub-leader who was controlling that base you destroyed. I only know of one other base and I can't be for sure if the head of the operation will be stationed there or not. I have never heard of the real leader's name, but I do know he exists."
"Where is the other base you know of? And what is the sub-leader's name?"
"The base is on colony L-08. And the leader who was stationed where Mr. Winner's mansion and the base once stood is Lieutenant Cole Mather. He once worked for OZ."
"His name does not sound familiar and I worked right alongside Treize Kushrenada," Une said, raising a challenging eyebrow.
"It wouldn't. During his days with OZ, he was a low level officer. After their collapse at the end of the war, he joined group after group that planned to overthrow the current government until finally resting with this particular one. They promoted him immediately and stationed him at that base on Earth."
"If you're only told what they want you to know, how do you know all of that information?" Heero asked, his eyes flashing and voice coated in suspicion.
"Like I said before, I did a lot of snooping."
"Were you the one to put the messages here in Preventers?" Lady Une once again took over.
"Yes. When I first enlisted with them, I volunteered to do any undercover work here. They almost had me 'join' but when they found out it took so long to get in, changed their minds. I put on a uniform, bribed a few people and had security lapse the time in the surveillance cameras. I had worked with one of them in the past, told him what I was doing the night before and there you go."
"Who did you contact in security?"
"Preventer Oliver Reyes."
Une turned to the Preventer guarding the door.
"Bring me Preventer Reyes from security this moment."
"Yes ma'am," he saluted before leaving.
"Where on colony L-08 is the base located?" Heero asked.
"It is disguised as the Diamond Delivery Corporation. Much like the hospital you stormed, the visible floors of the building are a decoy and the basements below are used as central operations. The group rents out the top of the building to that business for a very low price. The only catch is the delivery businessmen are never allowed to go into the basements or ask questions."
"Hiding in broad daylight," Heero mused.
"Basically, yes."
"Do you believe this is where they would have taken Relena and the others?" Une asked.
"I can only assume. I overheard Lieutenant Mather on the phone with someone and they were speaking about that base. I did some research on my own and found out more about the base, that's how I know what I know. There were a lot of upper level soldiers like myself that were dying to speak about different things they'd heard or just happened to know with each other. It wasn't too difficult to get a grasp on the situation."
"We send you in first. You will continue to act as a double agent for us," Heero told him.
"What? They'll kill me for sure. If they find out I was captured, even if I say that I told you nothing I am as good as dead. Even if I just show up and act like I merely survived your attack, they'll know something is up. Because, if you remember, I wasn't supposed to know that base even existed. Also, you've automatically lost your element of surprise because who's to say someone isn't following me?"
"Are there any others like yourself that you could communicate with?" Une asked, taking what he had said into consideration.
"None that I know of. It's not something I flaunted, obviously, and if there are any others they would have been acting on their own as well."
"You called for me, Lady Une?" Preventer Reyes asked, entering the room. He took one look at the soldier seated across from Une and muttered a quiet, "Oh shit…,"
"Indeed. Have a seat, Preventer Reyes."
He let out a reluctant, "Yes ma'am," and sat in one of the chairs near Lady Une.
"Is it true, Reyes, that you know this man?"
"Yes."
"What is his name and how do you know him?"
"His name is Reginald Lawrence. I know him from Lieutenant Peacecraft's division."
"Did you do him a favor and lapse security tapes even though you knew he was acting without orders?"
"At the time I didn't know he wasn't doing anything against, or without, orders. He just called me the night before and told me he needed me to do it. I thought it was part of an assignment, so I went along."
Preventer Oliver Reyes was a young man, probably around twenty years old with light green eyes, black hair and a tanned complexion. He had come to Preventers seeking employment almost a year ago. As part of security, he knew all of the Gundam pilots who now worked for Preventers, including Heero Yuy. He was, like the majority of the other young officers, quite afraid of Preventer Yuy. As he sat and stared at the silent superior officer, he could feel his skin crawling. Yuy's eyes alone scared many a lower level officer on a daily basis. Only those brave enough would speak to him casually, but they were often met with silent disregard. Heero's reputation preceded him in his division of headquarters. He was, after all, a cold blooded killer. He was a fearless Gundam pilot during the wars that had protected the Vice Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft many times and ultimately helped her to finish both major battles. Their relationship was very unclear for many and speculated upon frequently by many others.
"You realize what you have done has indirectly put Ms. Peacecraft right where the terrorist group wanted her?"
"I realize that now, yes."
Lady Une rose to her feet and eyed the two young Preventers carefully. They seemed to shrink under both her and Heero Yuy's glares.
"Preventer Reyes, when this situation has been absolved you and Preventer Lawrence will be reprimanded severely if not out of a job. You can only pray that we get Ms. Relena out of this situation alive, unharmed and as quickly as possible because otherwise, you will both be worse than unemployed. You will be in prison. I will see to that personally."
She finished and dismissed everyone except for Heero who followed her lead back to her office. Preventer Lawrence was placed back in holding for now. Lucrezia herself would have to ID him later if she even got that chance.
"What do you make of this situation, Preventer Yuy?" She asked his opinion once they were back in the quiet atmosphere of her office. She placed her thin glasses onto her nose and awaited his answer. He was quiet for a moment before responding.
"We'll have to take his word on things. This is the only lead we have and time is a factor. Relena could already be…," he didn't finish his sentence. He didn't have to. Both were enough aware of what was happening.
"Go and find Preventer Chang. You and he need to head to L-08 as soon as possible. There are too many risks in waiting," She told him, the tone of her voice becoming soft. Her military authority was running dry for the evening and the weight of the situation at hand was becoming much heavier as the night went on. She had been in her office since four AM and was now very ready to go home to her apartment and get a few hours sleep before starting again.
"Understood," he stated, and turned to the door.
"Heero," she said wearily.
He stopped moving and awaited the rest of her statement. She almost never called him by his first name. Not unless it was something important.
"All of this fighting… is foolish. It is not what Relena wanted when she assumed her position. The past cannot be recreated or everything all of us have strived for, her especially, will have been for naught. Once her life is out of danger, help to see her dreams come true. She – and the whole world – deserves that. Including you. Your life is not meaningless. I hope she has taught you that."
"She has taught me many things. And I will continue to help her as long as she needs me. I would like to finally enjoy the era of peace she must bring to us all."
"Of course. Now go and bring her home."
He exited silently and Lady Une took her glasses off once more to wipe the smudges from the frames. As she cleaned them, small droplets of water fell from her eyes to the glass. She sat them down on her desk once more and brought her face to rest in the palm of her hand.
XOXOXO
Wufei sat in his and Sally's office under the low light of her tiffany-style lamp. The florescent overhead lights remained off this evening. Their harshness would have been most unwelcome. He had opted to stay out of the interrogation. His temper did not need to flare any more that day and confronting someone that could have enabled the rebel group for his own idolization would have been too much. So instead he had passed the time sitting, thinking and watching the clock. It was now a little after midnight. Yuy and Une had been gone for a little over two hours.
He had recently moved from his desk to Sally's at some point and was looking around at things vacantly, realizing how odd it was to be there without her presence. She would have reprimanded him if she saw that he was shifting casually through the things on her desk. His search for reassurance soon moved to drawers. Buried under a stack of old copies he found a photo. None of them had many pictures to speak of. Quatre, Relena and Trowa were the only ones who openly displayed memories of the past on their desks. Looking at it, a rush of emotion caught him off guard. It was taken many years ago in a hanger. He knew it instantly because it was one of the few times everyone had come together shortly after the war. The candid shot displayed much younger looking versions of all the pilots. Quatre, Trowa and Heero were busy looking into the engine compartment of an old MS while he himself had been caught in the act of yelling at Maxwell for doing something idiotic. Sally must have been the one taking the picture because she had been there with Lucrezia Noin that day. Lucrezia was seen smiling at the exchange between himself and Duo while Sally was nowhere to be found.
Why had he promised to stay that afternoon in Quatre's library? He was getting as bad as Yuy. He told her he wouldn't run away. But he had run away before. After the devastating result of his home colony, he had fled like a coward and sought redemption in fighting and war. But it never came that way. Instead, it had come slowly through the other Gundam pilots and those they encountered along the way. He fought for justice, but also for forgiveness. Heero, of all people, had opened his eyes to the fact that more fighting instead of putting the weapons down would only do more harm. The endless cycle of war had to be broken. That's why he agreed to destroy Nataku then gone to join Preventers and Relena Peacecraft's side, after all. It was also why this group could not be allowed to flourish and continue on their path. He would not tolerate any more senseless violence. And he knew the others wouldn't either.
"Stupid woman," he said, putting the photo back where it came from. He didn't really think of her like that, but it made it slightly easier knowing her life was in danger now. Wufei had come to care about his partner more than he liked to let on. But he knew that she was strong and would be OK until he could get there. It was Relena he was more worried about. Not only was she the target, but she also had no idea how to fight. She only stood up for herself and others through words. And it wasn't likely that words alone would persuade this group of rebels into letting her live.
"We have a lead. You and I are heading out immediately. The shuttle should be ready by 1am so be prepared to leave at that time," Heero said, coming into the doorway and breaking up Wufei's thoughts. In the midst of his thoughts, he hadn't even heard 01 coming.
"Where are we going?"
"Colony L-08. For now, the source checks out. But we won't know for sure until we get Noin back."
"I will meet you at the launch station at 12:50," he said, dismissingly.
Heero nodded and left once more.
Not so long ago, he had wanted to inflict some serious harm on Heero Yuy. Even now it took a lot of effort to try and accept him as an ally once more. After all that had happened, after all everyone else had been through, it was not an easy task. Most times, even just looking in his direction caused anger to rise in his chest. But he had no choice. This was not the time to analyze their relationship or Yuy's relationship with anyone else for that matter. This was the time to get the job done. And that's what he intended to do, no matter who he had to fight alongside.
He leaned back in his chair and decided to rest for just a short while before the shuttle left. Something told him he would be needed all the sleep he could get for what was coming.
XOXOXO
Quatre was still waiting on Trowa to be brought out of surgery. He could feel the burden of his exhaustion sitting menacingly on his shoulders. It did not help that guilt was consuming every part of him. If he hadn't told Relena to come to his villa, none of this would have happened. It was his entire fault. How could he ever make up for this?
When his phone rang from the depths of his pocket, it nearly frightened him.
"Hello," he answered quietly from the hospital waiting room, flipping up the screen to be greeted by Heero's image.
"Quatre, we have a lead. I need for you to meet us as soon as you can on colony L-08. When you reach your destination, let me know. It seems we will need your help," Heero told him, noticing the circles which had formed under Quatre's eyes. They were probably from a combination of lack of sleep, worry and, knowing Quatre, guilt.
"Heero, I can't just leave everyone here."
"They'll be fine. They're safe there. Relena, and Dorothy, are not," he insisted, knowing very well that was a low blow to deliver. He did not have time to play nice.
"Yes you do have a point. It is no time to be selfish. I will catch the first flight I can and meet you and Wufei there."
"See you soon," Heero said before disconnecting.
It seemed he had no choice but to head out once more. Whoever heard of a wealthy businessman infiltrating an enemy compound? He smiled very slightly and realized that the others there in the hospital would all want, if not insist, he go and assist Heero and Wufei. Whatever it was they were about to embark on would be much more difficult without aid from the injured pilots. But he got up none the less, smoothed his pants legs and grabbed a small Styrofoam cup of coffee before he left. He looked at his watch to find it to be almost twelve thirty. As he made his way from the hospital to the street below to find a cab, he realized that it was going to be a very long day.
XOXOXO
Hilde was trying desperately to remain calm. If she stressed out too much it might have a bad effect on the baby. Of course, death could also have a bad effect on the baby. Warm tears ran down her cheeks. She didn't want in this situation. As much as she loved Relena, she would never have come to Quatre's mansion if it meant going through this. She just wanted to be at home in their little two story, three bedroom house located in a suburb not far from Preventers headquarters. Yes, Duo Maxwell the former God of Death now lived in a suburb. He was four years married and his wife was pregnant. He, by all measures, had adapted the best to life without war. But Hilde wasn't sure if she would ever make it home to that little blue house with the white trim and shutters and window boxes overflowing with her annual flowers. And if she did… would her husband? She had no idea if the other pilots had been successful at rescuing him. Duo, the man she loved, could be dead. More tears poured from her eyes and she tried to calm down. So, she thought back to a better time, a time where their lives had been slightly less traumatic. Before the attempt on Relena's life, when Duo was her bodyguard, life seemed pretty good for most everyone. Relena was sad often, but kept it hidden. Hilde knew, though, and tried to keep her spirits up. Duo took Hilde for strolls on a sandy shore often. He hadn't been Relena's bodyguard for very long… Heero had disappeared into the depths and Duo was promoted. One night in particular stood out in her mind over many others.
They were walking down the shoreline once more. One of her hands was clasped into his and the other held onto her pair of sandals. Duo had been working as Relena's bodyguard for two years now and things were going well. He was pointing out constellations from the sky and telling her about all of them. Mainly they were things she knew about, but it was still nice and she still listened. The year was very young at this point and would end up being the most memorable for all of them. Unfortunately, not entirely for the best reasons. At the end of that year, Relena's life would almost taken by an assassin's bullet.
"Hey babe, you know what?" he asked her.
"What is it?"
"These stars out here are beautiful and all, but I think you're much prettier."
"Aw Duo… knock it off," she blushed.
"I mean it! I've seen those things up close and so have you. So they're not all that special to me. But you are a different story."
She laughed at his cheesy attitude.
"I have something I want to ask you Hilde," he said, looking out at the ocean. His grip on her hand tightened. The smile never left his face but he had taken on a more serious tone. She felt her eyebrows come together in concern as she looked at him.
"What is it?"
"Hilde… have you ever thought about getting married?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know, the whole walking down the aisle, here-comes-the-bride thing."
"Well, yes, I suppose so."
"Would you be interested in doing all that… with me?"
She stared at him for another second and then looked out at the ocean too.
"Sure. I think that would be really nice."
He grinned so wide she thought his face was going to stretch permanently.
"I was hoping you'd say that! Because I bought you this!" he said, his voice giddy with excitement. She now felt herself smiling quite widely as well. He dug through his pants pocket for a second before pulling out a diamond solitaire ring. It was beautiful. Not too big and not too small. Just… perfect. He took advantage of her surprise by holding the ring out in front of him and asking,
"Will you marry me, Hilde? I know I'm hard to put up with, but I love you and you seem to tolerate me pretty good. That's why I want you with me forever."
"Oh Duo! Yes! Yes I'll marry you. I love you so much," she said before dropping her sandals from her hand, jumping up, wrapping her legs around his waist and planting a big kiss on his lips.
"Whoo! We're getting married!" Duo yelled happily. Hilde laughed and they toppled to the ground where he slipped the ring onto her finger. Their engagement only lasted a few months. They were married by fall. Then… only two months after their happy event, Relena almost fell to opposition.
Her lips turned up a little at her memory of the night they got engaged. Hilde Maxwell loved her husband like no other. And she knew that he loved her too.
XOXOXO
Trowa had been taken back to his room some time ago and was trying now to sleep. But his dreams brought nothing but unrest. So he went from sleeping to awake all through the night. He could only assume that his surgery went as well as expected because Quatre was nowhere to be found. A nurse later informed him that his blonde friend had left while he was in surgery, sighting some kind of emergency. Trowa knew that meant they had a lead on Relena's location and Heero would be moving out as soon as possible.
It had taken someone that once told him there was nothing wrong with acting on your emotions eight years to confess his love. Nearly a decade had gone by since they were all just kids, fighting against years of military progress. It didn't seem that long ago, though. To Trowa, it had been consistent enough to fool him into thinking hardly any time had passed since OZ and the likes.
"Trowa!"
He turned his head, thinking at first the medication had fooled too much with his head because that sounded a lot like…
"Trowa!"
Catherine turned the corner into his room and stopped. They stared at each other and her eyes filled with tears. She was wearing a large dark blue button sweater over a black camisole and black cotton pants. Her hair was slightly messy and she didn't seem to have any make-up on. In her hand was a large luggage bag. It seemed pretty obvious she hadn't even put herself together before coming to the hospital.
"Oh my God, Trowa. What happened?" She choked out, coming to his bedside.
"How did you get here so fast?"
"Fast? Well, I suppose I was quick, but Quatre called me at around one AM this morning and told me you were in the hospital and needed me. So I hopped on the first flight out and here I am."
"What time is it?"
She pushed up her sleeve and glanced at her watch.
"It's seven now."
He hadn't even realized it was morning. By this time, Heero and the others were surely at or at least close to their destination. He hoped the best for them and wished he could be alongside.
"I see… thank you for coming, Cathy," he smiled. Quatre had probably called her because he felt guilty for leaving. But Trowa was thankful. He loved Cathy very much and was glad she was here now. For some reason, seeing her this morning made him feel a lot better. He put his un-bandaged hand to her cheek and earnestly thanked her again for coming.
"You're my brother, Trowa. Of course I came. Now please, tell me what happened to you."
"I was shot. We were working to get a fellow Preventer out of the hands of an enemy and I took a bullet for someone."
"Why would you do something foolish like that?!" She gasped, sitting down next to him on his bed.
"Because he deserved to live."
She laid her torso gently over him in a makeshift hug and told him, "You deserve to live too."
He merely stayed quiet.
"Do me a favor," he asked after a moment had gone by.
"What is it Trowa?"
"Please go and find out the condition of the other Preventer. The one we went in to get originally."
"Of course. What is his name?"
"Duo Maxwell. He's a friend."
"One of those you fought with?"
"Yes."
"I see. I'll go and see what I can find out."
"Thank you."
Cathy tucked her bad away in the little closet next to the door, checked her hair in the mirror rather disapprovingly and left to see what she could find. The nurse at the station seemed to have some knowledge of the situation and pointed her in the direction of the ICU unit on the next floor up. She went, not knowing what to prepare herself for. They kindly buzzed her into the unit and she made her way towards the designated door. Another, older nurse approached her.
"I'm sorry ma'am, but do you know this patient?"
"Not really, but my brother Trowa Barton was injured trying to save him. He is with the Preventers too and wanted me to check on his friend."
"Alright… I suppose that would be fine, but take my word, he doesn't look very good."
Cathy swallowed hard and pushed the door open. The man looked vaguely familiar. She was sure that he had come to the circus where she and Trowa performed on at least one occasion. After catching her breath, she slowly made her way to his side.
"My God…," she whispered. He looked terrible. His head and chest were wrapped in clean white gauze bandages, the ventilator tube kept his breathing regulated, he was receiving medication through IVs and his slow heart rate was monitored closely by the blipping machine next to his bed.
"It looks bad, huh?" the nurse that had spoken to her outside said, coming into the room.
"Doesn't he have anyone to sit with him?" Catherine said, noticing the band on his left hand's ring finger.
"According to the nice young man that was here last night, his wife has been taken by whoever did this to him."
A tear escaped down her cheek.
"How bad is he?"
"Well, I'm really not suppose to release that information to anyone but family. But it seems you all are pretty much like family. According to our tests, the gunshot did a number on him alone. But the blood loss could be the worst thing. He seems to still have brain activity, but we won't know for sure how bad it is or isn't until he wakes up. And no one really knows when that will be… When he arrived yesterday, he received blood that should have assisted his body in repairing itself. The gunshot was here, she pointed to his side, and after his operation it was concluded that the damage done to his organs could heal and the surgeons did all they could to stitch up what they could. But we weren't sure if it would be able to heal properly because of the shock to the body from, again, the blood loss."
Catherine sat down in the nearby chair after hearing all of that. Suddenly it dawned on her that Trowa was probably lucky to be where he was with the injury he had.
"Thank you for letting me know all of that. I will be sure to inform my brother," she said vacantly. The nurse reminded her that visiting times were only fifteen minutes and excused herself.
So for the next fifteen minutes, before she had to go and face Trowa with such terrible news about his friend, she sat in silence with the man who might not know she was even there. Before she left she stood over him and kissed his bandaged forehead like the big sister she was. Looking at his cut and bruised face nearly made her cry again.
"I don't know if you can hear me, but I really hope you get better soon. There's someone out there that needs you. You can't let her down. I'll come back in a little while because it's not good for anyone to be alone."
She wiped her eyes and left to go back to Trowa.
XOXOXO
The door opened to Dorothy's cell and she picked her head up and grinned. Show time. She stood from where she was sitting near the back wall. The young soldier was about her height and she was abruptly struck with an even better idea. He went to throw her a bottle of water and she grabbed his arm softly.
"That's a lovely uniform," she said, her voice low and as sultry as she could make it.
"I have to go," he said, harshly.
"Wait… can't you stay for just a moment? It's been so long since I've seen a man as handsome as you," she practically purred, coming closer to him.
"I-I really should –"
She unbuttoned her blouse and threw it on the floor. He started to inch back, weary of her advances.
"I would love to be with a real man. No one will miss you for just a few minutes," she came even closer.
Something changed in his eyes as she tossed her bra to the floor. He kicked the door shut. Bingo.
"A real man, huh?" he asked, coming closer.
"Oh yeah."
"Well then… I don't see what a few minutes could hurt."
She pressed herself against him, unbuttoning his shirt. He fondled her, and she let him. She had an objective. That's when she noticed his gun sitting in its holster near his belt. Her hands first took off the pair of pants she was wearing to lure him into a sense of security. Then, as he bit coyly at her neck, her fingers moved to his belt.
"Whoa wait a second," he said suddenly. She grew anxious that he had figured her out.
"Allow me," he said, cocking his eyebrow and undoing his belt. It, along with his pants, fell to the floor.
"Perfect," she thought.
Carefully placing herself very close to that holster, she sat on the floor and patted the ground next to her, telling him to sit by her. He very happily complied, just as she knew he would. As Dorothy's lips worked diligently on his lips, her arm reached behind her unnoticed. Once she had a firm grip on his gun, she pulled it quickly from the holster and hit him on his head with the butt of the firearm as hard as she could. He made no sound as he crumpled over sideways to the floor. She hit him another time or two to insure his comatose state. Once she knew he was going to be out for a while, she got to work. Quickly, she grabbed up his clothes and dressed herself in them and when she was done, she put him into her clothes and laid him as far from the door as possible, with head facing away from the entrance. Before leaving, she grabbed his hat and stuffed all of her blonde hair into the top of it. She lowered it enough that no one would see her face fully. Reaching down, she took the water bottle he had been bringing her, just in case.
"Thanks a lot," she smirked before leaving and locking the door behind her. Another soldier was passing by.
"That one in there is being difficult. No more water for her," she told him in her best male voice.
"Hah, no problem. I'm against giving any of these bitches water in the first place."
She laughed along with him while considering the possibility of shooting him. No, that would blow her cover right away.
"Yeah I know, I totally agree. But orders are orders. Where's the pregnant one? I gotta go take this to her before the boss gets mad,"
"Oh yeah, she was moved wasn't she? Second level, third door on the right," the other soldier told her.
"Thanks," she said huskily before striding off. Why would they have moved her?
XOXOXO
Relena was thrown into a room that was actually illuminated. It was lined with bookshelves and in the middle was a rich colored wooden desk.
"Greetings, Relena Peacecraft. How nice of you to… drop in like this."
The male voice behind her made her skin crawl. She turned around and tried to be as diplomatic as she could while still woozy. A tall, middle aged man eyed her like his next meal. His dress was that of an army general. He wore his graying black hair short with long side burns running to the bottom of his jaw. The cold, dark blue eyes penetrated hers.
"Are you the one behind all of this?"
"How flattering that you would automatically guess. Yes, that would be me. And now my dear, you are all mine."
"What is your name?"
"Ah yes, how rude of me. You will be needing something to call out when I have my way with you, won't you?"
She felt her eyes open wide and she took a step back. He also stepped forward.
"My name is General Syrus Parker. Now, we've got a lot to do before that soldier of yours arrives, don't we?"
"What?"
"Yuy. There is no doubt that he will be coming. It is you, after all. And he's always there to save you. But not this time. Before I made a very public display of your demise, Miss Relena, let's get him good and wound up, shall we?"
"You're mad!"
"Yes… I suppose that would be an accurate word for it," he grinned.
He was fast. Too fast. She went to duck him but he grabbed her left arm. Relena tried to struggle to get away but couldn't. That was her weak arm and the more she struggled, the worse the pain became.
"Heh, still a little damaged from that failed assassination attempt, I see. That worthless no good wasn't worth the money we paid him. It's a good thing your people gunned him down. It certainly saved our bullets."
"What?!"
"Yes yes… that pathetic excuse for an assassin was a little glimpse of what was to come from my group."
"But that was four years ago!"
"We have been building our strength for quite some time, miss Relena. You see, you're worth it!"
He tugged her arm with great force and she fell backwards into him. She would have fought more than she did, but her injury made her weak and unable to defend herself. He quite easily threw her to the floor and pounced on top of her.
"I have always wanted to do this. A woman like you deserves this. I can think of no better way to rouse that Gundam pilot you cling to so desperately than telling him all about what I'm about to do to you right before killing you, which will happen, believe me," he hissed. She wiggled and thrashed from under his weight, but he had her pinned and her left arm was nearly numb from all of the work she was doing with it. She had to get away from this crazy man.
She could feel him grinding into her through his dress pants. She begged him not to do it. He called for something to tie her down with because of her uncooperative attitude and one of his henchmen brought a long cord of rope. After making sure she was secure he began ripping at her clothes, shoving her skirt up around her waist. She glared and pleaded for him to stop, but he kept on. He was harsh, angry and ignored her cries. Relena could feel the tears coming but fought them. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry during this. He demanded she say his name during his raid on her, but she refused. Each time she refused, the back of his hand met with her jaw.
While in the act of humiliating her, one of his soldiers barged in.
"Sir! The Preventers have been sighted. They're on their way here,"
"You idiot! Knock first!"
"Sorry, sir, but the group…,"
"Yes alright. It is as expected. Attack as soon as you see them. I will be taking this little prize with me for now. I am not quite ready to give Heero Yuy the satisfaction of greeting me and as long as I have her," he cupped Relena's chin so hard she thought he might actually break it, "he will keep searching for me and when he finds me, I will have something dear to him. Then I will kill her right before his eyes."
The other soldier shouted a, "Yes, sir," before exiting again. He finished what he had started, then stood and put his garments back on. She was still wearing her bloodstained dress, though it was now ripped considerably. Relena prayed it would hold together. He untied her, but then tied her hands once more. In front this time so she wouldn't be tempted to escape. Before they left, Parker went to his desk and pulled an impressive looking gun from the top drawer. He shoved it into her back and they started to move. She nearly lost her balance several times before actually falling. His shoe dug suddenly into her side as he kicked her. The force of it knocked the air from her lungs and she gasped for air.
"Get up! Let's go!"
Soldiers rushed all around them, heading to the back of the building. Parker led her down a different path. There was what looked like a dead end, but the wall opened revealing an elevator.
"My personal escape. Just in case something like this happened."
She did not speak to him. When they emerged from the elevator, Relena squinted at the light. The sun's light was unsympathetic to her eyes that had grown accustomed to the dim lighting. They were in a parking garage. A car pulled up and the leader shoved her into a dark car with black tinted windows before getting in as well. The car peeled out and they were gone. He looked over at her and sneered.
"Good thing I have my own personal shuttle and don't have worry with cleaning you up, Princess."
She merely kept her eyes on the floor. Relena refused to speak to the man anymore and would just hope what he said was true that he didn't plan on killing her just yet. Why would he wait for Heero though? Why not just get it over with…
XOXOXO
Well! Pretty long, huh? I wrote this in about a week, believe it or not. I tell you, inspiration is a glorious thing. Next update could actually be here within the next month if I can keep up this pace.
Truthfully, I hit a really hard hiatus before the last update and lost my direction for this story. It almost didn't continue. But now I have it completely mapped out and was struck with the perfect ending while, of all places, in the shower one morning. From what I can see, it will probably be 9 chapters, including an epilogue. Which is insanely cool to think about because when I put all of them together in my computer (which I will after it is complete instead of chapter form like right now) then I will have a small novel sized work on my hands (around 200 pages hopefully)! My grad student husband will surely be jealous. But this is probably more fun to write than a thesis…
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