Disclaimer: Gundam is still not mine *sigh*
"Hey, this is Matilda, I'm either not here right now or ignoring your call, so leave a message. Thanks."
"Babe, where are you? It's been a week… Did I do something wrong? C'mon, just pick up the phone, please babe… "
"Duo, any luck?" Quatre asked, concern clearly evident in his eyes.
"No," he sighed. "I dunno, it's just like she's disappeared of the face of the earth." Solemnly, he dragged his feet towards the garage, digging his care keys out his jeans pocket.
"Where're you going?" he asked.
"Brooklyn."
"Why?"
" Because."
"Duo-"
"God, Quatre," he snapped, before slamming the door in his face.
x.x.x
L3 Shadow Colony
The hot, humid air mixed with car exhaust hit her like a brick wall when she stepped out from the spaceport. Taxis were lined neatly across the road from the exit, while porters and passengers littered the street. She swung her duffle bag over her shoulder and headed down the path, ignoring the calls from the porter boys telling her it's unsafe to walk the streets alone.
x.x.x
Manhattan, New York
Duo felt his heart sink when the image appeared on the screen. Almost black hair, deep chocolate eyes, tan skin.
"Matilda," he felt himself whisper. Heero was staring at the image on screen with hatred, if looks could kill, the projector screen would have turned to ashes long ago.
"This is Keira Madison Darwin, also known as Matilda Darwin-Royal. She is a top-class assassin working for the Rouge Shadow Organization." Une's voice cut through the clean, air-conditioned air like a knife, "The RSO houses almost all fugitives and enemies towards the Sanc Kingdom and the United Earth-Sphere Nation."
Matilda Darwin-Royal… not a killer, he thought. Not a killer.
"We have sufficient evidence to believe that she, and other members of the RSO, have been constructing a replica Gundam Mobile Suit similar to the reconstructed versions of yours."
He could hear his heart beating, the sweat beads forming around his face. No one else knew this was her, that this was her name, except for Heero, but he wouldn't say anything… would he? His eyes darted around the room, looking at the blank expressions that the rest of his pilots were wearing.
"An informant has told us that she has a residence on the L3 Shadow Colony," she continued, the slide behind her changed to show a street scene that looked somewhat like London on a dark, gloomy day. "It was the very fist L3 colony built, and therefore the oldest and most forgotten. It is the head city of the RSO, and is almost completely controlled by them."
"So what do you want us to do about it?" It was Wufei who had spoken up, obviously annoyed by Une's blabbing.
She cleared her throat. "What I want you to do," her eyes narrowed, like in those old, cowboy movies, "Is to take her down; bring her and that pathetic piece of junk she calls a Gundam back to us. Death would be something she wouldn't fear, she's killed too many to be afraid of it."
Duo felt his chest tighten. Words ringing around his head like someone had just hit a bell right next to his ear. The colour had drained out of his face long ago, but somehow, he had managed to make it out of the conference room, clutching the mission files tightly in his hands.
"Duo…?," someone called, "Duo!" A sharp jolt in his back pulled him back to reality, he suddenly noticed that he was standing in front of the open door to his office.
"Whu- What?" he said, completely bewildered.
"We're gunna go to the café down the street then head back and start packing," Quatre said, "You coming with us?"
Nah, I'm just gunna mope around here until I finally believe that Une wasn't lying about her, he thought. "Um, sure, why not. Shotgun not paying!" he bounded down off the corridor, a little more Duo in his step.
x.x.x
L3 Shadow Colony
"So you're sure it was the idiot in the Gundam, right?" Elliott asked, over a cup of coffee. It was late afternoon on L3, the streets were crowded with market stalls and shoppers.
"I'd know him from a mile away," Matilda replied, eying a stall that sold fresh chamomile stems. "How much is the chamomile?"
"Five for a bunch. But seriously, don't you think you're overreacting?"
"Well you weren't there when he was staring you down like a bloody hawk!" she snapped, causing a few heads to turn.
"But, Matt, he probably didn't even recognise you. It's been three years," he said, grabbing his messenger bag of the ground and hanging it off his shoulder as they started to leave. Matilda stopped at one of the stalls, dried bunches of flowers and herbs hung from the wooden beams and canvas roofing.
"Two, thanks." She handed over ten dollar bill. "Elliott, I'm dead serious. He saw me, and he already killed Marc. Who's to say I wont be next?"
They walked the streets to the suburbs in silence. The only sound was their footsteps and the traffic that zoomed past. There was not much light weather in the L3 Shadow Colony, no cool wind, or hot, humid days. Only blizzards of gushing wind, floods that could fill the dams three times over and heat that could cook an egg if you left it on the pavement.
Matilda's ears prickled, she could hear the sound of heavy breathing and fast paced footsteps. She took out her phone from her pocket and sent a quick message, before slipping it away. Luckily for her, Elliott was holding his phone in his hand; he opened the text message before the sound alert had even rung.
'B-in follwd. Dnt look. Act norm.'
He glanced sideways at her, slightly nodding his head. Her eyes were darting all over the place, looking for escape routes and detours they could use to get away.
"So how's Jana?" she asked in code, indicating for them to turn right at the next street, Jana Street.
"Pretty good I guess. I think she may have caught on to us though, I mean with the project and all…"
I think the idiot behind us has caught on, run?
"What do you mean? Who do you think told her?" she asked, turning her head slightly to face him.
For sure, on your mark, Elliott.
He sighed, an exaggerated sigh. "I dunno, but we should go, right, about, now!" he whispered, then took off, Matilda by his side. She ignored the fact that basic instinct was telling her to turn around and look at her pursuer.
"Left at Wells, loose him in city!" she yelled, her heart hammering in her chest. Elliott yelled out something in agreement, but it was lost somewhere in the rush of traffic near the main road. She was running like a hare, and tiring fast, she could feet the vibrations of her feet pounding on the pavement.
Turning the corner, she barged through a crowd of shoppers and office workers, earning many shouts and curses, but she didn't care, as long as she kept Elliott in sight and the stalker far, far away. Elliott ducked into a shopping centre, pushing past the revolving doors and punching the lift buttons.
"Think we lost him?" she asked, out of breath. A few people were staring at them, though it wasn't uncommon to see people taking refuge in shopping centres from the officials and other hired kidnappers.
"No, not yet," he replied, hurrying inside the elevator as the metallic, silver doors slid open. "Okay, now we are." Matilda rolled her eyes and slid down the side of the elevator, how could he still have a sense of humour at a time like this.