And you know all the standard disclaimers…….

And to all my dedicated readers.. I apologize for the delay. I have been working

on this a for about a month but my hours are such it makes it impossible to get

any thing accomplished and it sounds like the hours are going to get worse.. Our

regular 11 hour days plus 8 on 3 Saturdays of each month…. Too many hours.. And

with them losing people it can get only worse ( 27 in two weeks) so I will try

to get these out in a timely manor but I make no promises…. And there is a new

chapter to the search to those who are interested …. Thanks now on with this

chapter .. I hope you enjoy….

Come what may

Chapter 8

I was drenched , tired and in pain as I found the nearest doorway. It had an

awning and the door way was set in back a ways. It was perfect. Dark and dry. I

shivered. Who would have thought on such a warm summer night a person could get

a chill. It must have been a lot of things. The betrayal of a friend, the rain

and the wound. I reached for the sore spot on my side and hoped it wasn’t too

bad. I sighed as I leaded against the brick wall the made up the side of the

door. I prayed they ( who ever they would be) would get there soon. I shivered

once more and leaned my head down to my knees , then wrapped my arms around my

legs to keep what little body heat I had. I closed my eyes and tried to think

about all I had read and the information I had found/ the information had been

unsettling. Very unsettling. No, I shook my head bazaar was the right word. I

mean it was about taking over the colony and maybe even earth later but the

thing that instigated it all was the weird part. It was me! It was just t o

weird and my tried wounded mind wasn’t coping well. I wondered how that office

came into play… unless this was just a little part of the puzzle. maybe there

was more going on here than I thought. It still didn’t tie the Preventers in

tho. They really were innocent bystanders …… or were they? I closed my eyes and

sighed. I really needed to get into the Preventers data base and do some real

searching. Things just didn’t add up. Duo was a target ,I had a n obsessed

stalker and the Preventers… why the Preventers? I couldn’t figure it out.. What

was I missing???? I kinda faded out after that thought, until I heard a car pull

up and some one shout my name. I recognized the voice but I couldn’t move..

Exhaustion, pain or what ever kept me frozen. I heard footsteps and more voices.

Then I felt a warm hand on me and some one holler “I found her!”

“Wu Fei?” I muttered.

“Shh.” Came his reply. I felt him gather me in his arms and carry me back out

into the rain. I didn’t protest too much. I knew I was safe. I relaxed as I felt

him walked me toward the other voices.

“Hilde!”

“Back off ,Maxwell.” I heard Wu Fei grunt as we approached. “Get in the car and

I’ll give her to you. Any one got a blanket?” He ordered.

I heard the sound of a trunk popping and some one called out. “There’s one in

here.”

“Good. Bring it here.”

I heard the trunk slam and there was a scurry of activity and a soft musty

smelling blanket was put on me. I was then placed it someone else’s arms … some

one close to me. I knew by his touch, by the smell of his cologne. It was Duo. I

heard him whisper my name and then I slipped into oblivion.

I woke up when some one slapped my face. “Fuck!” I yelled. The n panic set in.

What the hell? Where was I? Had it all been a wonderful dream and I was still

with Scott?

“HILDE!” A voice shouted at me.

“Ah, what the fuck! “ Was my half witted reply. It took me a few minutes to

realize it was Sally who was talking to me. I blinked and looked at the tall

honey blonde haired woman. “”What the hell was that for?” I asked, shivering and

blinking.

“Getting y our attention.”

“Isn’t there a easier and less painful way to do it?” I grunted. I felt the pain

welling up again. “ah, man I hurt.” I complained.

She grinned at me and replied, knowingly. “I know.”

She must have examined me while I was out cuz I could feel the bandages around

my waist. My face stung where she had but the antiseptic on my wounds. I moved a

bit and groaned.

“Duo’s out there pacing like a wounded cat. You want to see him?”

I nodded slightly. As she turned toward the door. “You know you’re gonna be

alright Hilde. You are a tough cookie, but you’re gonna be sore for a few days I

suggest you stay off your feet and get some of that research you need to do

done. “

I nodded knowing what she was getting at. Wounds take time to heal and even

though I would be ok, the side wound must have been deeper than I thought. I

sighed, but that would be good… I had to find out what Scott was really up to

and why my name was on his password. That was just plain creepy. Ok I kinda knew

why my name was his password but that didn’t give him the right to try and kill

Duo or any one else. I would have to stop him… but I knew there was more to this

. This was just about trying to kill Duo ..it was deeper. Much deeper. There was

more than one person involved that was a given. I just had to figure out who. I

sighed , you know this wasn’t even about the Preventers,, that’s why it was all

so confusing. I closed my eyes and tried to chase away all the thoughts running

though my head as the door opened , letting Duo Enter,

“Hilde? You awake?”

I smiled, “Yeah, I am…just thinking.”

I watched him move across the room, his arm still in the sling Sally made him

wear. He pulled a chair up and sat beside the bed. I looked up at him and my

eyes drank him in. Man, what a sight he was. I watched his face as his mouth

moved , then he was on me. Capturing my mouth with him. The kiss warmed me all

the way to my soul. I couldn’t catch my breath as he released it and wrapped his

arms around me. I felt engulfed and warmed. The love this man possessed for me

was even more that I realized. I could feel it I felt his hand come up and touch

my cheek, then my eyebrow, and finally up though my hair. He pulled my face into

his chest and hugged me. Then he released me.

I watched as he stood up and paced the room.

“Damn it! We should have never got you involved!”

I sighed. ”You had to.”

“No. we didn’t! We could have….”

I interrupted him. “No, Duo! “ I sat up and motioned for him to come sit by me

when he looked at me. As he sat down his shoulders slumped and he said softly.

“This is my fault.”

I snorted, and said , simply. “No it’s not. I walked into this and no one

stopped me. I made the decision to help. I could have said no, but I didn’t. I

knew the consequences. So just shut up about it. It’s not your fault.” I grabbed

his shoulder and made him look at me. I stared into those violet depths and

said. “It’s my fault because I trusted someone I shouldn’t have and he snapped.”

He frowned as I started to tell my story. As I talked he never said a word..

Until I mentioned Scott, then he said softly, “I knew there was something about

that guy that wasn’t right.” He looked at me as he reached for my hand.

“Listen. Don’t blame yourself for Scott. There was something wrong with that guy

from the get go.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?” I asked, wondering how he could have seen

something I didn’t.

“Well, he was a little bit odd.. You didn’t see it because he was your friend.

And you were close to him. Closer than I wanted to be but I couldn’t stop you.”

“We were never like that .” I said shaking my head.

“He didn’t think so.”

“How do you know this Duo?”

“I could see it, Hilde. I was as jealous of him as he was of me.”

I frowned. There had been a rivalry between them? Well, that was news to me! My

heart had always belong to Duo. Scott was never more than a friend, at least in

my eyes. I put my hand to my face and sighed. How could I have been so blind? I

should have seen this… could I have stopped his obsession? I didn’t think I

would have been able to. This was beyond anything I had ever dealt with. But

there was still more to this .. There had to be. The Preventers were involved

and well so was Relena. This was something more.. the bit with me was just

another puzzle in this twisted picture.

“Is some one going to go arrest Scott and his little army? “ I asked looked at

Duo.

He shook his head. “No, the place was deserted and he was long gone by the time

we got there.”

I looked at Duo, wondering if they really were gone or maybe still there right

under our noses. I didn’t make any comments out loud.. I wanted to be sure

before I stuck my foot in my mouth. I had a feeling I was going to be laid up

for a few days, so I asked Duo to get me a lap top I could use so I could work

on this case. He almost protested but then gave away to reason and went to get

me one.

While he was gone my mind was going through every possible scenario trying to

put this all in perspective but right now it was total mumbo jumbo and there had

to be a key… there had to be … but where… and what was it? I had no clue… maybe

I needed to talk to Heero, maybe Relena. Get another woman’s thought on all of

this. I rubbed my forehead and groaned. I kept forgetting I had just had a

beating. I slid back down into the bed and pulled up the covers…. I closed my

eyes thinking of just taking a small nap. I didn’t hear Duo come in or even sit

down beside me. I don’t remember much except dreaming….. Dreaming of running and

guns and ….. Mobile Suits. When I woke up Duo was still beside me, his head

laying on the bed by m y hand. I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair.

He stirred slightly but then relaxed again. I leaned back and closed my eyes, my

fingers still entangled in Duo’s hair. I thought of the fragmented dream I had.

I had dreamt of mobile suits. Guns and ,,,,,,, it was the mobile suits. He

wanted mobile suits. I knew the Preventers had a few stored in an under ground

facility. He wanted the pilots( well everyone but Duo who he wanted dead) to

teach his people how to pilot them. My eyes shot open and I gripped Duo’s hair

waking him up when I pulled it.

“Youch!’ he cried out in shock!

I quickly let go and apologized to him.

I didn’t say anything about my dream or my thoughts. I wanted to be sure before

I stated my theory. I didn’t want any one to think I had gone off the deep end.

He placed the lap top in my lap and said he was going for a soda and if I wanted

one.

I nodded and reached for him. I grasped his hand and pulled him toward my face.

“Kiss me ,” I whispered. He obliged and then went to get us those sodas.

I was deep in thought when he returned. My thoughts were on the dream I had had

about mobile suits. I wondered if that was what he really was after… I shook my

head, thinking why do they all want the mobile suits? Is it the thought of more

power or was it the bigger is better aspect of it. It would be something I would

never quite understand .. Even in later years. It just had to be a guy thing.

I was startled as he stuck the can in my face.

“Watcha concentrating on so hard, babe?”

I smiled at him, “ A dream.”

“What kinda dream?”

I chuckled , “Not a pleasant one.” I popped open the can and looked at him.

“Duo, tell me about this fascination men have with power…you know the biggest

the fastest and the strongest.”

He sat down on the chair beside the bed and scratched his head.

“Well, I don’t really know…. Why do you want to know?” he asked me with a

curious look on his face.

“Well,” I said trying to find the right words” I think Scott might be trying to

get the pilots and the Gundams”

Duo’s eyes widened and he looked at me in surprise. ”How did you know that there

were any Gundams?”

I looked at him and winked. “I didn’t until just now.”

“Errr.” His had shot to his mouth and then he dropped his head. I heard a huge

sigh and him mutter. “Heero is gonna kill me.”

“So there are Gundams, then?”

He nodded slightly.

“Hmm, That explains a lot. We need to talk to Heero. Scott is killing off

operatives to throw you guys off his real goal. The Gundams and the other

pilots. He just wants you dead because of me.”

”Why does he want the Gundams?” He asked me running his fingers through his

bangs.

“How I know what he’s thinking! His mind has always been a little twisted.” I

was thoughtful for a moment then said, “but I honestly never thought he would go

this far. Duo, how long do you think this has been going on?”

He shrugged and looked over at me. “I bet for a while… I wonder if he was

plotting while he worked at the shop.” He got thoughtful and then said, ”You

know , all those little “accidents” I kept having? I wonder how many were his

doing?”

My heart beat faster in my chest remembering some of them. Then my fists

clenched in anger. “The little bastard.” I whispered softly. I made my mind up

right then and there I was going to be the one to get this guy. I didn’t know

how I would do with out any solid leads but I would get him with or with out

help. And if we were going to get on this we had to do it now.

“Duo, help me up.”

“What? “

“Help me up.” I repeated. “I don’t have to lay in this bed.”

He frowned. “No, your hurt… I…”

“Don’t think about that. That was a long time ago and well we have to move! He’s

gotta be stopped. And Now before he kills any more or he does get his hand on a

mobile suit.”

He nodded but I could see he was remembering the incident on Libra. “Let it go ,

Duo. Come help me or I’ll just do with out you.”

I Heard him sigh and mumble something about a stubborn woman, which I replied,

“Yeah and you love it.”

He laughed as he helped out of the bed and into my clothes. “Hey, you got me

clean clothes.” I said, with a bit of surprise in my voice.

“Mm hum.” he replied. “Can’t have my girl all covered with blood and all.”

I shook my head and smiled as I finished up. As I stood completely up I wobbled

a bit then sat on the bed.

“Hey are you sure this is a good idea?” He asked, concern in his voice.

I nodded and forced my self off the bed. I stood there a moment waiting for the

dizziness to pass and then I said, ”Let’s go! We got a psycho path to stop!”

To be continued……