Duo Compromised

Narrator: After Colony 198: After each pilot goes through their own strife with Revenge of the Lost, each so far has outwitted it, leaving it in its own turmoil. Having gone underground with just a handful of what it used to have, they are using their other branches to feel out for information. As another month passes, the pilots feel more triumphant while RTL feels more embroiled. But, things might be changing once again soon . . .

One month later at Support the Loss Headquarters . . .

"Hello?" Ronald held up a little pass his friend of a friend gave him. "I need to meet someone special? My friend Emerald-Ruby sent me?" Please let this work. He had a low class job, and he hated it. Every day and all day, he did nothing good with his life but work with trash. He was tired of it, but it was work.

He'd heard from a friend of a friend, who heard from someone else though about there being underground rewards for not the capture, but just information about ten missing people. He didn't know about all ten missing, but he did know about Relena since she was the freaking Queen of the Earth for a little while. He also knew of course about Heero Yuy. Everyone knew about that guy, he was like a legend. People said he was like a real life James Bond. He didn't know about any of them though, he knew about the pretty girl with the beret. She had the same hair color as him. Same eye color too. Hilde. She looked more down to Earth than the other missing people, so she just stood out more to him.

It wasn't exactly a big leap to know about it, but to find someone to get the reward wasn't easy because it wasn't a legal thing. But? The reward was worth it. He told everyone he knew, and tried the best he could to find a connector. He ended up finding someone that lost touch with the group, but knew another member, and then he finally got in.

He was invited in the back and saw the official member. "Okay, I have information. How do I share it?"

"Just, tell me," she insisted. "I'll make sure it gets to the boss."

Wait. "Are you sure I'm going to get paid, if I tell you?" This was a lot of money.

"If it's real." She didn't seem pleased. "I don't care about the money, we are trying to find important people that have been out of our sights for a month. Just give it to me."

He sighed, knowing he didn't have much choice but to trust her. He brought out some of the pics he snapped. "I think this is that one called Hilde, so does the woman that knows you?" He held it out to her.

She took it and examined it. "Where was the picture taken?"

"On my route."

"Where is your route?"

"Does it look like her?" he asked. "It looks like her. I know the hair is a different color." He pulled on his own hair. "I know it should be this color, but people aren't going to be wearing the same hair. The clothes though, it looks like something from a-" He watched as she gave the picture back.

"I don't think it's her. Thanks for coming."

What? "Seriously, I see her on my route all the time. I know you can't tell from the photo so well, but I think this is her." He picked up the photo and gave it to her again.

The woman sighed like she was just going through the motions now. "Does she live with anyone?"

"No," he said, "but she does have extra trash. More trash than usual for one person." She just yawned as she looked at the picture. "There could be others hiding. Look, I got some real good looks at the people who are being looked for, and I've seen this woman a lot. I am sure it's her. Can you please just take this seriously?"

"Hang on. I know women who have studied every inch of her history," she said to him. "They will be able to answer." She left with the picture that could be worth so much if the information came through. He hated that she had to leave with it.

She was gone about twenty minutes, then he saw two different women head his way. They looked serious. Please let it be it, he wanted that reward so bad. "Do you have my-"

"Where is this bitch?" One of them said holding his photo up high.

Geez. "On my route."

"What do you do?" The other one started to question. It wasn't just a question, it was harsh, like he better have the right answers.

"I collect trash."

"Where is this, is it on Earth?"

"Yes."

"How far away, where are you from?"

Geez. He tried to keep up with their questions. They wanted everything, all the nook and crannies, from the address to what he had seen, to anything he saw that was out of the normal. He watched as one of them picked up a phone.

"Superior," she said. "We've finally got one."

Duo and Hilde's Hiding Spot

Could really go for something different, but Duo never really left the house. Those two safety houses really had been entirely safe, no one had bothered them once. Hilde was the only one presumed to live there, they were like special houses. When he and Heero first came, they had a quick brush that almost created a mistake. These houses were used for apparently 'mommies that were in danger'. RTL apparently did still work with trying to shelter innocent people.

Duo and Heero said they were just the drivers for Relena and Hilde. They stayed out of the way and surveyed everything around the area, and waited to be sure before joining them. On the inside, they still stuck like glue to them. On the outside? Well, they just couldn't go outside.

That wasn't fun. A month stuck on the inside was not fun, but Duo wasn't going to risk Hilde for one night out away. Heero was the same way. So far, everything had been great. Hilde had changed her hair into a vivid green color and straightened it long so she didn't look anything like her old self. She hated it.

Relena dyed her hair red and cut it real short. She also only went outside with glasses, and she only left the house in clothes that she would never have been caught dead in before. They never left much farther than Heero or Duo either.

Another really great bonus with this strange housing was it came with some money attached. Since the women were supposed to stay in hiding, they made sure that they wouldn't have to work for a time. It wasn't a lot, but hey, money each month dropped off in the mailbox only by the same representative that had showed the houses in the first place. It worked.

"Duo?" Hilde called for him around the corner. "We really need some more food. I have to order more."

Duo checked the cupboards. Eating everything possible first was always a good idea. "I thought we had an extra box of mac still?"

"We ate it," she said. "Yesterday, and we finished off the rest today."

"I thought it was a box each day." Well? "Okay, order up, Hilde." Ordering out sounded nice, but it cost way more. To survive on the money they had for two people easier, they bought food through the local market app. Someone would deliver the bags right to the door, that way he didn't have to trust her leaving.

"I already made the list." She went over and showed him the list on the computer. He roamed the house just as much as her, they kept the curtains sealed with tape to keep anyone looking in on them. "We still have two whole weeks after this before the next pay drop."

Yeah, it looked good. Ooh! He added his favorite brand of chips. "Oh, Hilde, how could you miss something so important?" he teased. "Send it through." It wouldn't take long for the person to be there with the groceries.

Duo relaxed with her and the TV until the eventual knock. He made sure he didn't go too far from the front door, just in case. They could never be too careful, and one careless act could ruin everything again.

She brought in the groceries left at the door with little fuss.

"You didn't miss my chips?" he teased as he went to help put them away.

"No, I didn't forget your chips," she said holding them up. "Here you go, Duo."

"Ah. Now, see? If we ever had one, Chip is what I would go with," Duo said as he opened his chips up and took a bite. "Deathscythe would kill them on the spelling. It kills me on the spelling."

Hilde just laughed and popped a chip. "Hey, have you contacted Quatre today?"

"Not today. Yesterday he said Dorothy was doing a-okay, so was Sandrock." Seriously, if they were going to name the kid that, they should just give up the Sand and Rock separation and really commit to it. Sandrock. "I tried to call Heero, but he's been busy all day. Probably just watching over Relena, and doing absolutely nothing else with Relena all day."

"Oh, let them live it up," Hilde said to him. "I wish we could do something fun. I feel like I've got Cabin Fever."

"Board games make the day go faster," Duo pointed out.

"I really miss leaving the actual yard. I really wish this was all over by now," she muttered. "Sure, no one is finding us, but we aren't getting any hints about RTL either. It's real annoying."

He'd rather be annoyed than captured. "I'll go set up a game." He set up the game on the opposite side of the kitchen table where they would eat while Hilde fixed some real quick box food for supper.

They ate and drank some soda and then started to play their game.

Duo started to move a piece, when he started to feel like . . . "Hilde. Bail. Hilde." She couldn't though, she had already fallen asleep right on top of the game. "No. Seriously. We were so careful." He watched as the door was opened, without any force. An extra key. "So careful." He tried to keep his eyes open, but it wouldn't work for long.

Duo woke up. It was night outside, and he was still at the safety house. "Hilde?" He looked around but it was clear she was gone. Taken. Someone found them. " . . . Heero." He used what momentum he had to head to Relena's house.

It was already empty. "Good." Some food was left unfinished, but some clothes were missing too. Since clothes were missing? Heero must have either figured something out, or heard them when Hilde was taken.

They were safe and out of there. Meanwhile? Duo's phone was now gone. Everyone's numbers were compromised. First thing he had to do was get to a phone, and let everyone know what happened.

Second? Scream. Scream into the air, scream more, and do everything he could to track RTL down before they held Hilde for too long.

Duo left, heading to a nearby hotel to take a shower and check every crevice on him for any kind of bugs. Crystalia had microchipped the women, but none of that was on the tablet Trowa kept. Still, RTL could have tried something dirty, there was no guarantee he was clean. At least any surface bug would be checked so it wouldn't pick up any audio.

He made the first call to Heero, to let him know he appreciated waking him up and letting him know they left. Absolutely the thickest sarcasm.

"You are compromised," Heero insisted. "I already let the others know, they are looking into RTL's places that we know, there is nothing else we can do for you, do not make contact again."

"I checked myself, there's nothing on the surface." Still, Mister Big Shot didn't want to talk. "How am I going to get Hilde back?"

"Find out who found out about her, and work backwards from there."

"No one knew, there was nothing. She didn't leave, and I didn't leave. She never did anything."

"The women went outside. Someone must have seen them outside and somehow put it together."

"So, a trash man or a meter man or something?" Wait. "Do you really think a simple person would take enough notice?"

"Everything is risky, Duo. Two people in a house for one makes a decent amount of trash, water, and energy. Maybe it made someone notice her."

Okay, local utility people and trash people. It was a place to start. He had to work quick. He had to get Hilde back. RTL was absolutely mad with revenge, but after escaping their eyes this long? They couldn't have had good things planned for Hilde.

Hilde. Whoever it was that spotted her, they were going to pay. "It was bad last time they kidnapped us, but it was still us." Now? He had no idea what was happening to her.