Gone

Standard disclaimers: they do not belong to me……… well any original characters are mine but the Gundam characters belong to Bandai and Sunrise
I am just barrowing them for a bit and will return them unharmed….. Please enjoy! Also, remember this is A.U. I used the GW story line but change it a little…

 
 
Gone
Chapter 9

Hilde pulled her baseball cap down lower on her head, obscuring her face. She didn’t want anyone to recognize her yet. She walked swiftly to the hanger where the Gundams were stored. As she entered the hanger, she looked around, to see if there was anyone she knew inside. It was quiet and empty as far as she could tell. Her footsteps echoed as she approached the large black Gundam.
“Hello, Deathscythe. I sure hope you can help me.” She whispered, looking up at the large machine. She reached for the zip handle and allowed it to pull her up to the landing. She stepped up to the hatch and place her hand on the device in front of her. A light blinked and a voice said, “Authorization accepted. Welcomildeilde.”
The hatch slid open and allowed her to enter.
She smiled as she entered. She knew Duo had done something like this and she was quite proud that he trusted her with “his buddy.” She hurried to the pilot’s seat and sat down. She typed in the code Duo had given her. The computer kicked in and the blue screen lit up. She sat in the darkened cockpit, with the blue light filtering around her, casting shadows around. She typed in another short bunch of letters and crossed her fingers.
“Have it on, Duo. I hope you didn’t leave it on your dresser.”
She knew he had a GPU imbedded in his watch so the other pilots would know where each other where at all times, unless they turned off their signal. A small red dot appeared on the screen and Hilde sighed, “Yes!” She typed in a question and the positioner beeped and the coordinates popped up on the screen. She quickly asked it to translate them to a street address and wrote it down, She smiled as she clicked off the screen and then shut down the computer.
“Thank you, Deathscythe.”
Just as she stood and turned to leave a cold voice greeted her.
“What are you doing here?”
Hilde looked up into the stern face of Heero Yuy.
“Looking for something. Duo’s in trouble.”
“Baka.”
“He is not a baka! He’s very smart compared to most people I know. He has more common sense in his little finger…..”
“He’s reckless.”
She glared at him. “So are you! Seems to me you tried to self destruct at least once.” She waved her hand. “ I don’t have time for this.”
He grasped her arm as she tried to pass him.
She jerked back trying to free herself. “Let me go!”
His eyes squinted at her as his grip tightened on her arm . “What are you two up to?”
“What do you care?” She snarled at him. “You have never cared before.”
Heero released his grip and stepped back at the fierceness in her voice.
“ What do you mean, Duo’s in trouble?”
She stared at him, then threw her arms in the air. “Just what I said.”
“What are you two doing?”
She sighed, “You aren’t going to let me go until I tell you, are you?”
He shook his head.
“Hey, how come you aren’t protecting Relena?”
“Day off. Now tell me.”
She stepped away, she couldn’t tell him everything. She didn’t know where he stood on this matter. “We are trying to get some information on some one. Duo was suppose to be back by 6. I’m going to find him.”
“Tell me more.”
She shook her head, “No, talk to Une. I can’t tell you more.”
Heero frowned slightly. “Weren’t you confined to your quarters?”
“I……. I have to go!”
She slipped by him before he could react and slid down the zip. He watched her as she ran from the hanger…. Knowing he would not catch up before she was out the door. He looked over at the computer and hit the return button, returning the page to the beginning. He frowned as it indicated the Hilde had pulled up Duo’s GPU and asked it to search for him. Maybe she wasn’t kidding about the baka being in trouble. Heero shut down the computer then stepped out of the Gundam and descended to the floor. It was time to talk to Une.

 
~~~~~
Hilde glanced back once to see if Heero was following her. She sighed and hurried out the hanger. Hilde shook her head , wondering what ever possessed her to talk to Heero Yuy like that. What the hell was she thinking?? He probably would put her on his death list. Then she giggled, just like everyone else. Well at least she wouldn’t be alone!
She quickly made her way to the car pool and found a small Motorcycle, that she hotwired to get started. She grinned slightly as she gunned the machine and sped from the garage remembering Duo teaching her that trick.

~~~~~
Une looked away from the camera. “IS she gone?”
Sally nodded.
“Is the tracker in place?”
Sally nodded, “ Do you want me to have the troops follow?”
Une shook her head. “No, they have to do this on their own.”
“Do you think that’s wise, Ma’am?”
“No, but there is no choice. They have to be the ones to do it.”
“So locking Hilde in her room was a ploy?”
“No, but I couldn’t reprimand one with out doing it to the other. I know who started the whole conflict.”
Sally frowned and took her eyes of the monitor to look up at her friend.
“Duo and Hilde made the connection that none of us could say out loud. You know Hilde is a civilian volunteer and you can’t control a Gundam pilot. They are here because they want to be. Nothing more.”
“And if they get caught, you can claim no knowledge of this , correct?
“Yes.”
“I made Hilde a temporary Preventer.”
“I know, but it doesn’t matter.”
“ That sucks! Damn it, kids, please be careful.” Sally sighed as she looked back at the monitor and again.

 
~~~~

 
Hilde revved the cycle as she cruised down the highway, enjoying the wind in her hair and on her skin. She knew when she got close she would have to ditch the bike and go in on foot. She mind tried to work a plan as she sped down the highway. She hoped this would go easy. Soon she saw the exit she had been looking for and turned on to it. As she drove into the area, she frowned. Maybe she wouldn’t have to ditch the bike after all. It was busy for 7 at night. The daylight had begun to fade as she drove by the building she had been looking for. She drove to a little ally way and pulled into it. The street lights were just starting to come one, splashing pale light all around. She parked the bike and got off, looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to one lone rider on a bike. She seemed in luck, at least for now. She reached back and readjusted the gun in her waistband and moved quietly to the door. She paused there, listening for any sound. She didn’t want to walk in and face a surprise she couldn’t handle. It was quiet as she jiggled the knob and heard it click. She pushed open the door slowly and cautiously, hoping there was no alarms or anyone waiting for her. Nothing happened, no loud ringing or shouting. She sighed and stood for a minute letting her eyes adjust to the gloomy darkness. She looked around and noticed it was just like any other warehouse. Crates and boxes were piled everywhere, some neatly and some haphazardly. She frowned as she moved slowly in the semi darkness. If this was the meeting place, where did they meet? It was a warehouse and it looked like a warehouse, us is it was a cover up so if some one got lost they would just walk into a warehouse. And maybe Duo and she were wrong about this guy. He could just be who he said he was. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard voices and steps coming her way. She quickly ran towards the crates to her right, slipping into the relative darkness of them. She crouched down behind one and listened as the two men walked by.
“I want no part of this. The kid probably just got lost and is afraid to say so.”
The other man nodded and said, “Yeah, Ralph, tends to get a little carried away once and a while.”
“Come on let’s get a drink.”
She listened as the voices fades and the door closed. She stood up and slipped back into the corridor , staying close to the crates. The front door seemed a long away a way as she crept deeper into the warehouse, following the slightly muffled voices.
As she crept closer she could hear the conversation.
“ok, kid, I caught you red handed going through the files. What were you doing? Why are you here? Are you spying for someone?” The speaker asked. He was a tall man, with bulky muscles and dark brown hair.
When there was no answer, he balled up his fist and hit the person sitting in front of him. There was a small grunt but no other sound, except flesh hitting flesh.
“Come on! Talk to me!” Another punch. “ I don’t want to do this!” Another hit.
Still he made no sound after every blow.
Hilde cringed after each blow knowing who he was hitting.
There were two other men standing near by, watching with unconcerned looks on their faces.
“So when do I get a shot at him?”
The first man growled. “You don’t!”
“Hey, why do you get all the fun?” He whined.
The first speaker turned to him and stepped up, grabbing his shirt collar. “Because I said you don’t!” He shoved him back and growled, “Go get some coffee and donuts.”
As the first man stepped away from Duo, Hilde got the first glimpse of him. He was battered pretty good. His left eye was almost closed, there was a cut above his right eye, his cheeks were battered and bruised, and his top lip had a split in it. He should have been unconscious, but yet she could see his undamaged eye gleaming in almost unholy way. She shivered slightly. The god of death was in the house. She watched as his wrists moved under the tightness of the ropes. She could see small drips of blood pooling on the floor. She hand to get him out of here. But how? It was three to one. Sure she had a gun, but they each had one too. She watched as the other man started to walk away.
An idea hit her as she moved back into the shadows. She would have to take them out one at a time.

She followed him as he stomped through the corridor , complaining under his breath. She had found a crowbar laying on the floor and chose it for her weapon. She climbed up on two crates stacked up to be a little higher than his head and she waited for him to walk by. Then she brained him with the crowbar. She watched with satisfaction as he crumpled to the hard cement floor. She climbed down and pulled his prone body behind the crates but left his feet sticking out. She then hid in the shadows of the waiting like a spider for her next meal. she could still hear the man trying to get Duo to answer him but no sound came from the former pilot. Soon he was cussing and yelling for the man he had sent away. After a few minutes of quiet talk the other man walked in Hilde’s direction. She waited impatiently, then watched as he spotted the feet. She took a deep breath and waited as he came closer to look at the feet. He uttered one word of surprise before Hilde hit him too. He fell over her partners body with a small thump. She looked at the prone men and place the crowbar on the crate above her head and hurried to the place where the other man and Duo were. As she moved down the corridor she pulled her gun and readied it. Just as she stepped out into the outer circle of light the man turned back to Duo. This time he had an object in his hand.
“You know , kid, this hurts me more than it hurts you. I’ll make you talk.”
He raised his arm and was ready to swing down on Duo, when Hilde spoke.
“I don’t think that would be in your best interest.” She pulled back the hammer and it made a distinctive click, that echoed in the quiet building.
He started to turn around to face her.
“Don’t. I have no qualms about shooting you. I was a solder a long time ago. Put it down.”
He laughed and said, “You sound like a girl. What can you do to me even if you have a gun?” He turned and started toward him.
Hilde looked him right in the eyes and fired the gun. She watched it as it jerked in her hand twice and as the bullets flew across the room to the target. ”This.” Was all she said as she watched him fall to the hard cement floor.
She slipped the gun back in her waist band and hurried over to Duo. Her hand reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pocket knife. As she slit the bindings on his wrists, she looked at him.
“No, I’m not going to ask if you are ok, because you look like hell. Can you walk?”
He tried to grin as he saw her, “Hilde, the files………” He nodded toward the cabinet.
She got up and went to it, pulling the top draw open. She pulled several folders out, “These?”
“What do they say?” He whispered.
“Organization.”
“Yes .”
She closed the drawer and came over to him. “ Come on, lean on me.”
“I seem to be doing that a lot lately.”
“Yeah, I know. Is that so bad?”
He leaned against her and whispered, “No.”
“Good, now let’s get out of here before some one comes to investigate that got.”ot.”
“If anyone heard it.”
She shrugged. “It ‘s a quiet building , it may have echoed.”
They struggled out of the building . But Duo didn’t help noticing the two men sprawled together by some crates.
“Remind me never to piss you off again.”
“Hm?”
“Those guys you took out.”
“Oh, that.”
“I never…”
“Shhh.” She said, “Let’s just get out of here, ok? We’ll talk about that later.”
Hilde helped Duo to her ride. Duo looked at her through his opened eye.
“You never cease to amaze me, Hildie girl! You can ride a motorcycle? How come you never told me?”
She shrugged as they got on the bike, “You never asked.”
“What else do you know?”
“Stuff.” Was all she said as she kicked started the bike. “Hang on.”
Duo let out a brief laugh thinking about how their positions were reversed at this moment.

As the bike pulled away from the ally several troops moved in behind.
A man in a helmet and lieutenant’s uniform, turned to his men, “ We are to clean up the mess and nothing more. Une’s orders. Let’s go, quickly and quietly.”


To be continued…………………………….