Hilde stands alone in a crowd by herself. She is in a silver spaghetti
strap dress that is flattering to her curves. Her hair is piled up top
with a few curls framing her face. Hilde stands on her toes to look over
the crowd. Not seeing anyone she knows she turns to sit down. As she walks
to a table, she catches a glimpse of Hero.
("Didn't think he would come.") Hilde is about to sit down when a man
comes up to her. Before he could say anything, she places her left elbow
on the table and rest her chin in the palm of her hand. She makes sure
the guy can see the gold ring on her wedding finger. The guy does a 180
turn and Hilde can't help but laugh. Hilde looks up to the ceiling and
sighs. Oh how she hates these parties . . . Relena loves them. This one
is in honor of the 'No Arms' treaty, signed seven years ago . . .
"Seven years." Hilde sighs as she thinks about the seven long years.
So much has happened. Sally had a baby girl and Wufei couldn't be any prouder.
Duo and her got married a month after Sally and Wufei became parents. Then
a year later they had their first son . . . Jonathan. Hilde smiles when
she thinks about the day she was told of her pregnancy. She thought she
could never have children. Hilde sighs again as her mind drifts on . .
.
("Trowa.") She sits up at the thought of him. There has been no word
of him or the others . . .
("Hero must have given up.") She thinks sadly as she sees Hero again.
Wufei had started the search but when Sally went into labor he called it
quits. Hero was angry but hid it well. He came to Duo who said he will
help in his own way, which is through his connections. Who would have guessed
that Duo knew so many people? Hilde looks around the room one more time
before she gets up.
("Why is Hero here?") She moves through the crowd, scanning for
the 'perfect soldier'. Hilde couldn't breathe . . . too many old ladies
with too much perfume. A hand on her shoulder stops her in her track. She
turns to see Sally . . .
The doors to the medical room slammed open to a very angry Hilde.
She storms down the army colored hallway to the end where Sally's medical
room is. The hallway is dimly light by flickering fluorescent lights. The
flickering of the lights casts a shadow on her face, enhancing her features.
Her pail skin almost glows and people move aside for her.
"Miss?" Says a doctor. Hilde ignores him. The doctor blocks her path.
"Miss? Do you have clearance to be here? If you don't, I am going to have
to ask you . . . "
"Do you really want to stop me?"
"What?" Hilde stops and glares at the man. He takes a step back and
stares strait ahead as she moves past him. Hilde stops when they are back
to back. She looks at the back of the doctor's head over her shoulder.
"Do you really want to stop me? You can try . . . but I wouldn't
waste my time doing it . . . " She continues on her way. "You wouldn't
get very far." Her voice is cold and harsh. Everyone stayed silent until
Hilde is gone from view.
"SALLY?" Yells Hilde as she enters the medical room Sally is in charge
of. A team of doctors surrounded a medical table. The turn to look at Hilde,
hiding whatever they have on the table. Sally's head pops up from the team
of doctors. She smiles at Hilde and walks over to her.
"Why hello Hilde. What brings you here?" She says in a most forgiving
way. Hilde crosses her arms over her chest. A warning to Sally that she
can't sweet talk herself out of this.
"Where is she?"
"Who?"
"Madison." Just then the doctors move aside from their examining
table. Sitting on the table was Madison with a 'Please don't kill me' look.
"Mother . . . "
"Madison." Hilde's voice is stern and unmoving. It has been seven
months since the battle with Hilde's father and Madison now looks like
a full-grown adult. This causes, in public, strange stares at Hilde and
Madison. They would think Hilde was the daughter not Madison. "Lets go
home."
"Mother . . . " She says in her sweetest voice.
"Hilde . . . please. We need to understand the NM's. What if they
come back? How will we know if we are fighting a NM and not a human? Besides
. . . " Hilde cuts her off with her hand. Madison means a lot to Hilde,
seeing that she can't have children.
"Find another lab rat Sally. Stay away from my daughter."
"Mother!" Hilde looks at Madison who is now standing. Hilde looks
away with a sad expression. Hilde looks the age of eighteen and her 'daughter'
looks around her mid twenties. "Mother. She can help. There may be a way
to save me! I'm going to die in three years . . . these tests might uncover
a way to prolong my life! I'm willing to risk a few shots and x-rays .
. . " The room falls silent. Hilde sighs and her expression is now different.
"Very well then . . . " She smiles and looks over at Sally. "So Sally.
How are you?"
"I'm just fine. But what about you?"
"What do you mean? You're in more need for care than me. You are
nine months right?"
"Yes. It will be nine months in one week." Sally places a hand on
her abdomen. "I was just asking about your back. You were shot three times
there and where in critical condition for about a month. You need to rest
. . . "
"Oh no you don't . . . don't start a Duo panic on me. I hear it every
day from. Come on! It has been seven months! Do you think me that weak?"
"No Hilde, I don't."
"Hilde?"
"Sally! How are you?"
"Fine, fine. You?"
"Could be better." She says with a sigh. Sally looks at her concerned.
"What's the matter?" Hilde looks away and spots Madison chatting with
some people. She smiles slightly but it turns to a frown.
"Seven years Sally." She says softly. "Seven years and no word from
them. Do you think they are really gone?" Sally looks to the floor. She
feels guilty about the whole thing. She feels that she didn't play a big
enough role in helping to search for them. Only a few Preventors and Hero
were still conducting a search. Duo's contacts have always come up with
nothing . . . not even a clue or lead. Nothing. It's like they fell off
the face of the earth.
"No. I don't. I know we will find them . . . We can't give up hope."
She rests a hand on Hilde's should to reinsure her friend. Hilde smiles
warmly at her friend.
"Yes, you're right. Can't give up hope. I mean, I did have a son . .
. " Just then . . .
"MOMMY!" Yells Jonathan Maxwell. He rushes up to his mother and hugs
her legs. Hilde almost falls over with her son's strength. That scares
her, the fact that her son has the same strength as her . . . as a BMB.
Hilde pushes her worries aside and picks up her six-year-old son. He has
his father's hair and smile but has the deep blue eyes of his mother and
her fair skin.
"How's my little heart breaker? Did you have fun?" Jonathan smiles and
nods his head. He hugs her and gives her a kiss on her check.
"Yup! Daddy and me played games and I was a Gundam and I beat him and
the ship blew up and daddy got mad and, and, I had fun! Can I play again?
Huh mommy? Can I?"
"I don't know. We have to ask Aunt Relena. It's her game room and her
stuff. Why don't you go and ask her again? I'm sure she won't mind." She
puts her son down and watches him run strait for Relena. ("Odd. How did
he find her so fast?") Hilde has been looking, not only for her husband
and son, but Relena as well. There are so many people here that it is difficult
to find anyone. However, her son ran right to her and he can only see people's
kneecaps. Hilde brushes it off, thinking he must have seen her when he
entered the ball room with Duo. Yet, a part of her tells her other wise
. . .
"Hilde?" Hilde turns to meet the concern eyes of her husband. "Hero's
here. Where's our son?"
"With Relena." She says as she points to them. Duo smiles and waves
as the two heads toward them. "I know he's here. Did you talk to him? What
does he know?"
"He hasn't found Trowa or the others but he ran into a girl who says
she knows you. She won't talk unless she sees you. Hero says her name is
August." Hilde's face lights up. She knows that name. Hilde is about to
say something when a man brushes past her. Time seems to slow down as she
turns to look at the man. He glances over his shoulder at her. Hilde gets
an empty feeling in her stomach, not the type that means time to eat but
the one that is caused by the fact that you know something bad is going
to happen. Hilde looks into his eyes and sees nothing. They have no expression.
They are lifeless.
"Hilde? Hilde?" Says Sally. Hilde shakes her head and looks at the two.
"What's wrong? You were like out of it for a while. Something wrong?"
"Yes, that . . . " She turns to point to the mysterious man. "Man?"
He is gone from view. She scans the room but can't find him. Then her sights
land on Relena. She is walking up to them and is holding Jonathan's hand.
"What man?" Says Duo. Hilde keeps her back to them as she watches her
son come up to her.
"Nothing." She says. ("Nothing in deed. If I didn't know any better,
I would think that man was laughing at me . . . ") Just then a cold feeling
creeps up her back. She slowly turns to look at her friend and husband
. . . and the source of the creepy feeling. She turns to see the man right
behind them. Hilde takes a step back and readies to fight. Duo sees this
and turn to only be pushed down by the man. Sally is also thrown to the
ground. The man has an evil and dark face. He lunges for . . . Relena!
"NO!" Hilde is pushed down but uses that to her advantage. She uses
the force to power up her kick attack to his stomach. It only delays him
a few seconds. Relena pushes Jonathan behind her as the man regains his
stance. He tries again but is hold back by Duo, Hilde, Sally and three
bodyguards. The man's arms are free and are desperately trying to claw
his victim to death. Jonathan grips onto Relena's dress, hiding his face.
"Run Relena!" Yells Duo and Hilde. Relena pick up the boy and runs out
to safety. Hero comes up and hits the mad man, who is now foaming at the
mouth, with the end of his gun. This knocks him out but it won't be for
long . . . Bang.
Hilde sits in a large plush chair. She hums a lullaby to her sleeping
son. He rests in her lap and is cradled by her arms. Hilde rocks back and
forth as she rests her head on her son's.
"I love you so much." She whispers in the child's ear. A maid comes
to Hilde with a sweet smile.
"Miss?"
"Yes?"
"Here. Let me take him. I will put him to bed." Hilde smiles and lets
the maid take her son. "I'll put him in the guestroom just down the hall.
Ok?" Hilde nods and watches the maid leave. As the door to the parlor closes,
Hilde sighs.
"What a day." She flops down on the plush chair again and pinches at
the bridge of her nose. She is alone in the room. She wanted her son to
be away from the discussion going on in the security room. Resting for
a bit, Hilde decides to find the others just when Duo comes in. Upon seeing
him, Hilde gasped. He looks like hell. His jacket is gone and his tie is
undone. He gazes at Hilde with a sorrowful look. "What?" She says as she
walks up to her husband. He walks past her and makes himself a drink. He
takes Hilde's seat and rubs his face. Anger starts to boil in Hilde's blood
as to the lack of conversation from her husband.
"The . . . tapes." He says in a soft voice. "We looked at the security
tapes . . . and well . . . " He rubs his neck in discomfort. ("How the
hell am I going to tell her?")
"Well what?" She says as she crosses her arms over her chest.
"Uh . . . babe . . . now don't get in a rut now. We don't need you running
around on a rampage . . . "
"Duo . . . I'm in a rut . . . " She says without emotion. Duo stands
up to meet his wife.
"Now Hilde . . . "
"No." She shakes her head. "I'm in a rut and I want to know why?"
"Hilde . . . stop." She walks away from him to make her own drink. Once
it is made, she swallows it all in one setting. "Look, just listen to me."
He pauses, waiting for her to speak. Since she doesn't, he goes on. "There
are cameras all over that room and Wufei was on duty when the guy attacked."
He takes a deep breath. ("Well, here goes nothing.) "At first we thought
Relena was the target but the tapes tell other wise."
"Jonathan?" She says in a soft gasp. Then her face turns blank, the
ultimate anger. The type of anger where you feel noting. Foul words seep
into her mind as she wishes that she was the one who killed the man. Duo
becomes worried and waves a hand in her face. "What?" She says coldly.
"We need to think . . . "
"WHAT'S TO THINK ABOUT?"
"Hil . . . "
"Don't 'Hil' me! What's wrong with you? You just told me that my son
. . . our son . . . just had someone try and KILL him? Why are you
so calm?"
"Because I have a plan . . . "