To All Lengths

The Long Colony

Wufei didn't say anything as he took the few items he had and packed them up. He was being asked to leave.

Mei-Lin had witnessed her colony's demise. Her mind had not been trained to accept and understand all possibilities. Her colony had been her home, and it was now terminated. Nothing was left but scrap metal that may have escaped the carnage. Certainly nothing alive, and no one of the Zhang Colony.

Mei-Lin was the last of it, but the Long Colony had not been very good friends of the Zhang. Although Wufei no longer had to worry about any nonsense of fatherhood, he could not abandon her to whatever life wanted to throw her way. She was weak and she had nothing. Even she knew that, and unlike some women, seemed to accept it as an inevitability. She alone could not bring justice to her colony. 

Unfortunately, that did not mean one simple life on the Long Colony. Wufei asked politely, with the most sincerity that he could, to let her stay. His choices had been given to him. Unless he planned on marrying her, (why would he ever without reason?) then she was not welcome.

He tried to work out something with Quatre since he was leaving to Earth with Catalonia.

After all, Trowa would not be so easy to get on the phone. He had gotten the spy with his unborn only yesterday. Everyone should be on guard, not even answering phones.

Even Quatre shouldn't have answered it, but he did. Wufei reminded Quatre that he knew Heero, and he could possibly be working with him. He shouldn't trust anyone. Then he insisted Quatre could trust him right now.

Wufei got help from Quatre, and then reminded him once again that he shouldn't trust anyone else. Quatre complained it was confusing, but that's why Wufei chose Quatre in the first place. He was of the weaker, kinder kind of heart that would be the one to mess up if something did happen.

They should not let their guard down. For anything.

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Duo and Hilde's Colony

Hilde stuck her head out the side of the truck. "It feels so good to be back home."

Yep, they were lucky. Hilde not pregnant. Never taken. Safe and sound, and finally home. Duo pushed his shades up as he parked. "Oh, Junkyard, my Junkyard. How I missed ya." He got out along with her. Back to how things should be. "Alright, Hilde, listen up. We are still not out of the woods."

"You aren't going to start babying me, Duo?" Hilde warned him. "I'm a big girl, and I won't be getting any special surgeries anytime soon. I'm fine now."

"Gee? Pardon me Miss Perfect," Duo complained. "I'm only trying to be a friend that cares for the sake of your health."

"Oh. Sorry, Duo," Hilde apologized. "It's just that? I don't want to be stuck in that kind of position again. I am going to be just as careful as you are going to be. No late night frolicking, new friends, or anywhere that's not my regular. I'll even drag you shopping with me when I go if you want."

Good. She was taking it seriously. Duo knew that he had been lucky, along with Wufei. However, Wufei's luck had backfired for the woman he took care of, so just assuming everything would be okay wouldn't work. As long as I stay next to her, they won't risk doing nothing. Not like they can blow up this colony without blowing me up. Then where's the satisfying revenge? Nah, they wouldn't.

They wanted to hurt him and make him suffer. Not just kill him off quick. He even went inside the junkyard door at the same time almost. They both thoroughly inspected the place. Everything was absolutely fine, but Duo wouldn't let down his guard. Like it or not, he'd be her shadow for as long as it took to nab RTL. Even if he had to spy on her secretly to do it. 

Not something he wanted to do to her. Spy. It wasn't right to spy, but at the same time, he doubted she would really allow him to shadow as much as she needed to be. Precaution was no four letter word. 

"I smell like one of those Earth pigs we always crossed on the farm when we went to work," she complained. "I like Earth, but not everything about it."

"Yeah, the colony smells are different," Duo agreed. "Earthlings kind of do have a . . ." Hmm. "Well, it's not like terrible."

"No, just different," Hilde said politely. "But, colonists smell a different kind of different. I missed my shampoo and soap." 

Yeah, subtle things, but Duo got it. "I get it, Hilde. Earthlings don't stink. Just you." He gave her a playful wink to let her know he was kidding.

"That's not, hey, I didn't." She was tongue-tied. "I'm taking a shower. I'll be out soon." She smelled her shirt. "I'm serious though, Duo, smell that."

Duo's nose got close to her blouse. "What did you do, hang out by a pier all day? In the water by a pier all day? Because I used to hang out on Earth piers and I never came close to that." It smelled like rotting fish. Duo had smelled it before, but the smell was worsening as time went by. He thought it was a combination of them or something. "Yeah, you go get cleaned first. You need it."

Duo sat down and waited. He turned on TV and got some snacks, ready to just relax for a bit before they got down to business. Fifteen minutes rolled by, so he went to go knock on the door. "Hilde, you okay?"

"I smell terrible still, I need longer!"

"Okay, okay. Don't have to bite my head off. Pardon me for being worried." He walked off and relaxed on the couch for another ten minutes. Twenty five minutes total now. He went back toward the door and knocked again. "It's not like a skunk. It's been 25 minutes. What's taking ya?"

"It's a stubborn smell. Give me more time."

Duo sighed. "I'll give ten minutes, Hilde, that's all you got left."

"I'm fine. Don't be so commanding."

Hm? Hm. Commanding? "You know the hot water doesn't always stay on for too long."

"Stop badgering me, I will come out when I am ready."

The place wasn't the best, and water wasn't always perfectly warmed up. Usually, it started to get cold in around the 30 minute mark, with nothing left at 35 minutes. I was giving up my shower time. That would never make her say commanding. 

Duo stepped back and knocked down their bathroom door. He heard a scream and saw a figure's shadow in the bathtub. Could be Hilde, if she really for some reason did forget such a simple concept about water? But, he'd find out now. "Why don't we take long showers, Schbeiker?"

The figure was still. "Uh? Water, of course."

"That's right!" Duo didn't care, he grabbed the shower curtain open. Like he'd ever say just her last name and have such a plain reaction. 

Duo knew it. He didn't want to know it. He'd rather get pummeled for miles by Hilde for that action, and he'd let her for doing such a despicable thing. Except? It wasn't her.

The lady there ripped the shower curtain off and covered herself. "The money. It was too good?" She shrugged. "Would you turn around?" 

No answer from Duo.

"How'd you know? Wasn't the answer right?"

No answer. Just. 

A pull of a gun aimed straight at her, with a click to unlock the safety. 

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In the back of an unmarked van.

Hilde risked opening her eye. They had been nice enough to give her towel back. Somehow, she doubted that meant she would be okay.

She had been pushed out of the van, being brought to a shuttle. She could not even last one hour with Duo before they managed to steal her. On complete alert even. Just one quick shower and-

"Hilde!"

Duo? Hilde watched as Duo knocked the women around her out. Something she would be glad to help with once she was free. "Duo!"

"One freaking shower, how could I be so stupid?" Duo criticised himself. "You okay, Hilde, you aren't hurt?"

No, but he was a little close for comfort in her towel. She was used to having a towel to and fro, not a big deal living with Duo, but this towel wasn't tightened by her, and she was restricted in handcuffs. 

Duo seemed to get the gist as he backed off slightly. She adjusted the towel a little better, checking the tightness. "Good. You're okay."

"How did you find me?" Hilde asked.

"Shady voice actor told me where you went."

Hilde watched him. His actions were jumpy. His eyes angled and alert like he was still in a mobile suit fighting. There was no way he would want to stay home now. "Now what, Duo?"

Duo didn't answer at first. "I uh. I don't. I thought I lost you, Hilde-Babe. I thought?" Suddenly, he didn't seem to care about her space with the towel as he hugged her. 

She didn't care much either. Duo lost so much in his life. Losing another would not be good for him."I am okay, Duo. I promise." He was still hugging her. "I won't risk a shower without checking for windows again."

"Screw that, Hild, I am standing right outside the bath now," Duo said. "We are spending 24 hours a day in the same rooms. You aren't leaving my line of sight."

Uh? "What about to just use the bathroom, Duo?"

"I'll use a bath curtain and stand in it. I don't care, RTL is not getting to you. If we didn't have such terrible water, I wouldn't be here right now. They even have fakes doing voice acting of you. We definitely have to get off this colony. The more they know where we are, the easier it will be to mess with us."

Duo scratched his head. "Really wanted to believe they would just try something small later on. Try their luck on some dental surgery or something. No such luck, they were ready to outright kidnap you. We can't come home yet, Hild. I don't know where to go, but not home."

"I get it, Duo." No junkyard yet. Still. They would need somewhere to go. 

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Right in front of him! Just get home, not even a day, and they have the guts to try and take her.

They thought they were that powerful. Heero's got it right, I have got to be more careful. Duo didn't care anymore about right or wrong to one's own self. He wouldn't lose Hilde.

He had to find out about his own family tree because he was climbing into it.

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Heero's hideaway

Heero checked his phone, recognizing that last number. Duo's throwaway. Considering he wasn't waiting to call from home, that couldn't be good. "What."

"I need to talk to my half brother," Duo said to him. "I jumped the gun on him when I saw a woman in his house tied up. I want a second meeting."

Hm. "Things not good at home?" First day even. "Your brother is not in a good mood. He lost that same woman you untied to the man I am hunting down."

"Yeah, I know. Just get me to him, Heero. I want to share all the support I can."

Uh huh. Heero wouldn't be there alone for long. From the lengths Duo seemed to be willing to help? Let's test it. "Your brother needs help retrieving his woman from an old ally of ours. He also needs help getting rid of a woman that is with our other former ally."

"He's my only family left. I'll do anything to help him out."

Yep, something bad happened. "You aren't being recorded, Duo. What happened?"

"They tried to nab Hilde from the shower, and replace her with a professional voice actor in there. I am lucky I got her back. You don't get how lucky."

The shower? Professional voice actor? They want them at all costs, even without being pregnant. He looked over at the other side of the room at Relena. She was looking at the view right now. 

Heero went back to the phone. Duo was ready to fully pursue RTL to all lengths too. "You know who to call up. I'll get in touch with your brother, but I'd be honest with him. Family is important. He'd probably help shelter his little nephew."

"Little nephew. Yeah, I getcha," Duo said before hanging up.

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