Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

-I'm sorry this took so long to get out, but my Internet connection was down. *Kicks her computer* Stupid piece of junk

Mission of Mercy

Chapter 8 'Capture'

Relena heard one more bullet whiz by followed by the trampling of jungle brush as someone ran to get them before she sprung to her feet and raced into the Jungle. She was off the path and only shear luck would lead her back home without getting lost. Another bullet flew by her shoulder and imbedded in a tree just ten feet to her right. She hugged Deacon tighter and ran faster. Branches and leaves tore at her skin leaving gashes and deep cuts along her arms and legs. She ignored them though knowing that if she were caught Deacon would be hurt. Just when her lungs were beginning to fail her and her legs to weaken she felt something hit her calf and she went down in a tumbling jumble of legs and arms. As she rolled something struck her shoulder and Relena muffled the scream that was about to erupt from her mouth. Slowly she gathered Deacon and pulled him into the foliage nearby.

In a panic Relena looked at her leg. She'd been shot in the calf the bullet was lodged in her bone and she couldn't move it any longer. Her shoulder had been hit as well rendering her right arm useless. Deacon was unhurt expect for some minor cuts and bruises. She couldn't protect him any more. Relena turned to him and gathered his weeping form into her arms.

"Yo-ou-rrr bleeding." He choked as she hugged him.

Relena forced a smile and kissed his forehead in an attempt to silence him. "I'm all right Deacon, but I can't run any more and I need your help. Can you help me?" She watched as Deacon nodded and then jerked as he hiccuped.

"Some people are after me Deacon and I need you to go back home with out me." She paused when she saw his stricken face. "I need you to tell them what happened Deacon. I need…" Relena stopped and gritted her teeth as a stinging pain rose from her shoulder. "I need you to tell Heero, Duo, and Quatre that they have me." Her face as ashen as she swallowed her tears and tried to sound confident. "I know you can find your way out of here." She paused. "It won't be long before they find me so you have to go. Go off a little ways until you can no longer see where I'm hidden, but you can hear voices. Wait until those voices leave and follow the trampled foliage back to the path and run home." Relena paused and looked at him seriously. "Don't come back out for any reason. If you hear me scream, don't worry I'm fine." Relena released him and pushed him toward the deeper parts of the Jungle. "Now go and don't forget. I'm depending on you Deacon." Relena watched Deacon until he disappeared and sighed in relief. He was going to be safe.

Slowly she turned back to her own wounds. She knew she was in bad shape. Her entire calf was going numb with pain that laced through her every few seconds and her shoulder was bleeding heavily. She could fell it gushing out and down her back every few moments. She was light headed, and knew by the trampling and cussing she heard that it wouldn't be long until they found her. Hoping to hurry them along Relena let out a loud moan and then another. They weren't all fake though and it wasn't long before someone reached into the foliage and hauled her out. The quick motion sent her mind reeling and her vision blurred.

"Bring her back with us. We can bargain with her." The voice was rough and held a deep ascent that she couldn't place.

One of the men she was thrown to grabbed her shoulder and immediately her cry of pain split the air and she surrendered to the darkness.

* * ** ** * * * ** * *

Deacon curled into a ball and closed his eyes against the tears that stained his cheeks. 'Stay until you hear nothing, nothing. Don't come out if you here me scream.' Deacon recited the orders over and over again and tried to calm his raging heart and push his fear away. Something had happened to Ms. Lena and somehow he had to bring help. He could still hear the cussing trampling of foliage as his teacher's captures left. He waited until he heard nothing and the thick darkness of night had begun to fall before he rose from his hiding place. His muscles ached and his face was stiff with dried tears but he ignored it all and ran through the woods hoping that he would be able to find the path before it got dark. The grass pulled and scratched him on the way, but the pain only made him go faster. Finally he burst from the woods and onto the path. Quickly he turned down the path and raced for home. He didn't stop the whole way.

Duo was the first to see the small form emerging from the woods and told both Heero and Quatre to follow him. They ran toward the small figure. As soon as they were close enough they heard his little voice.

"They…they…Ms. Lena…hurt." He struggled to get it out, but tears disrupted the boy's words and he was completely exhausted.

Duo reached him first and let the child fall into his arms. His eyes shutting immediately. They took him into the tent to see Misty. Hopefully she could revive him.

Even in unconsciousness Deacon spoke of what happened. He told them Relena had been bleeding, that something had shot her. He told of people pulling her out of her hiding place he told about the scream. He recited her orders to him, to stay where he was until she was gone, and mostly he said he had to find Heero, Duo, and Quatre.

The three G-boys Bulzer, Misty, Tutian, and a few of the other personal and teachers were gathered in a room trying to decide what to do.

"I believe you guys should call for some sort of back up." One of the teachers suggested and eyed the three guys warily.

"We are the backup and the foreword and all we need." Duo told him seriously. "We are trained for stuff like this, the only thing we have to worry about is Lena." He paused and looked at Heero. They had agreed that it was necessary that they know who she was. If the people who took her found out then the Cinq Kingdom would become involved and maybe start a small war right in the middle of the refuge. Duo didn't know how to say it though. "There is a lot you don't know about Ms. Dortan." Duo began. "And I think that despite her wishes you should find out the truth about her and Ms. Jeffs." Duo looked at Hilde who was slumped in the corner trying to avoid everyone's eyes. "First of all those are not their real names. Ms. Dortan is none other than the deceased Relena Peacecraft/Dorlain." He paused only for a moment then pushed on ahead. "Ms. Jeffs is Hilde Schienberg." Duo stopped. "Now that you see who they are you understand how the former Queen of the world would be dangerous in the wrong hands." Duo stopped and was met with an uproar of voices. Most were shocked some where angry.

One man in the back jumped up and pointed accusingly at Hilde. "You shouldn't have come here!" He shouted. "Because of you this whole place might have to be destroyed and all these people could die!" He was met by some agreeing voices and Hilde jumped to her feet her face red with anger.

"We came here to help, we didn't come here to put anyone's life in danger…we…" Hilde trailed off in defeat she couldn't think of anything else to say in her defense.

Tutian spoke and stood up. "Stop torching Ms. Jeffs." She told them bluntly. "I knew who each of them where before I let them into the refuge." She stopped and smiled at Hilde. "Do you really think that both of your fame didn't reach my old ears and eyes. I knew it from the moment I saw you two and I let you stay so none of this is either of your faults. Its mine." No one argued with her, but fell into silence. "Now let's start planning so we can get them back here, were they belong."

* ** ** * ** * ** * * *

Relena was beginning to come around her head hurt and she was so weak. Her wounds had been bandaged, but the bullets were still lodged in the wounds. They weren't bleeding anymore, or for the moment, and that was what counted. Relena blinked dizzily and tried to pull her self to a sitting position. She was so weak the effort was almost too much.

"Stay down you lowly bitch. We don't need you yet."

Relena heard the words and turned to see whom they had come from just as the butt of his gun came down and hit her in the temple. Relena's world immediately swam into darkness again.

* * * * * * * **

Heero was fighting a losing battle. He didn't want to loose Relena, he had lost her one time and almost not come back from it and he knew a second time would send him over the edge. He couldn't let it happen. Angrily he pulled the strap on his holster tighter and slipped his gun into the slot. She wasn't going to die on him. She wasn't. Heero turned to see Duo and Hilde talking quietly to each other. He could see the tears in Hilde's eyes and the dark contemplation in Duo's. She was asking him something important. He didn't know what it was, but the interaction made him jealous. Heero continued to watch as Duo scratched his head and nodded. Immediately Hilde jumped into his arms and gave him a kiss. They remained like that for a while and Heero returned to his work.

After a while Duo came and sat beside him. "Do you think its bad that a girl asks you to marry them?" He asked and grinned a little lopsidedly. "Because Hilde asked me and I told her yes." He laughed a little, maybe in shock and became serious. "I don't have to wear the wedding dress now, do I?"

Heero shook his head. "I doubt that Duo." He loaded another gun and set it on the ground by his foot. "What are you going to do?"

Duo stared at him as if the answer surprised him even more than it would Heero. "I'm going to stay here, with her, with these people. I'm giving up cable TV and Twinkies for Hilde."

"Then it must be love." Quatre said and walked over to stand behind him. He was dressed all in black and his blond locks brushed back out of his eyes. "I heard and I must say I'm impressed. The craziest and most immature is the first to get married, and everyone said it would be me." Quatre laughed and placed a comforting hand on Heero's shoulder. "Don't worry we'll get her back."

Heero ignored the hand mostly, but he couldn't seem to shrug it off. Quatre knew what he was thinking, he always did. "What time is it?" He asked instead.

"Thirty minuets to midnight. Almost time to leave." Duo told him.

All three of them had done extensive surveillance that day and found the spot they believed Relena was held at. It wouldn't be too difficult in infiltrate. Time passed quickly and soon the Gundam pilots were moving swiftly through the jungle. They moved with silence and were almost one with the jungle, seeming to know what would make noise and what wouldn't. The camp soon came into view and the three split off into separate positions in order to chase them out.

Heero sent Duo and Quatre away from his position and silently gave them directions using his hands. The others immediately left him and he crouched low waiting for the time when the others would be in position. They had one minute. He counted it off mentally and waited. 'One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand….' As he counted there was movement from the building. Heero continued counting and watched as a bright light filtered over the camp from the opened door. One of the men stumbled out pulling something with them. Whoever it was they were barely conscious. The figure stumbled when the capture released them and fell to its knees.

"Get up you bitch." The words were quietly whispered but he could hear. When the figure wouldn't move the guard swatted her in the back with his gun. "Get up or feel some more of this." The yelp that sounded from the figure chilled Heero to his soul.

It was his Princess, his angel, sitting helpless in front of the guard. He had no idea how injured she was. 'Twenty one thousand, twenty one one thousand….' 'You have to wait he told himself as the attacker picked up her arm and hauled her to her feet.

"If you want anything to drink you'll pick up your pace." The attacker snarled and shoved her foreword slightly. This time she remained on her feet and began to walk toward there water supply not far away.

Heero watched her critically. She was dragging her leg a little and clutching one of her arms as if it were broken. In the dark he couldn't really make out any other injuries, but he knew that the shoulder and leg was were she'd been shot. 'Thirty four one thousand…' He watched Relena bend down and cup the water from a near by bucket in her hands and bring it to her lips. She drank thirstily and then moved to splash some water on her face. 'Forty three one thousand…'

"That's enough." The guard reached for her arm, which she yanked out of his reach and she spoke for the first time.

"Keep you hands off me." She snarled at him and spit near his feet. "I don't any help from you."

"Wrong thing to say honey." The attacker raised his gun again his eyes narrowing in contempt. Before he could even bring it down he felt something-cold press into the back of his neck. A harsh voice whispered in his ears.

"Make one move and I'll blow your head from your shoulders."

The man froze he hadn't even heard anyone coming up behind him. He started to crane his neck to look around but heard the safety click off the gun.

"Think of that as your warning." The voice said and grabbed hold of his shoulder and pushed him to the ground. The gun flew from the assailant's hands and landed next to Relena who gratefully picked it up. "Now in about twenty seconds your going to be attacked and I have to decide if you're going to be a threat or not."

The man shook his head quickly. "I won't I promise. I'll off into the woods and you won't see me again." He was sweating under the pressure and his eyes darted around helplessly. Heero was about to let him go. He wouldn't cause them anymore trouble when he heard the cocking of another gun and glanced only briefly to see Relena with the gun poised on her capture. Heero could do nothing but stare as the beaten girl steadied her aim on the back of his head.

"He knows who I am." She told him hastily as if explaining her actions. "If I let him go he'll tell and then the refuge will be in danger. There will be another war." Her voice broke with emotion, but the gun never wavered.

"Relena don't do it. You sound…." Heero's words trailed off.

"Like you?" She asked almost laughing. "Yes at one time you wanted to kill me because I knew who you were, and now I understand why. You probably should have killed me. I could have caused the death of thousands, or perhaps I did. I won't let him end so many lives." She moved closer and pressed her gun to the back of his head. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Relena don't." Heero almost yelled at her. "This isn't the way to solve any of this. We can tie him up, or knock him out, we won't let him get away." He took a step toward her and she stiffened.

"They'll still know. I'll still have to leave, I can't run any more." Relena shook her head and almost dropped her gun.

"I think it's time you stopped running from who you are Relena." Heero told her taking another step closer. "You are Relena Peacecraft, but you're also Lena Dortan. It took me a long time to find myself." He whispered to her. "I tried to heal, I have mostly, but you, you never gave yourself a chance. It was one mission after another your missions of mercy. You cared for everyone else, but yourself. It's finally caught up with you." He was standing beside her and he reached out the pulled the gun from her limp hands. "You have to face your past, and your mistakes, you have to accept what you are, and what you've become."

"I don't like who I was." She whispered as she continued to stare at the ground. "Because of me thousands died." She watched the man shift under her and get to his feet. His face was pale and ashen and Relena was ashamed that she had caused that pain. "I'm sorry." She told him. Before anymore could be said two Preventers came running out of the jungle. The assault only took a few minutes. They were captured and Relena was released. They all knew who she was, and there was no way to keep them silent. Because of the abrupt kidnapping the Preventers were forced to go back to the Cinq Kingdom and fill out some work. Duo would be coming back in less than two weeks, but Heero, and Relena….

*Dances around and starts to sing* One more chapter, one more chapter!

All right how did you guys like this part? R&R