I do not own GW, and I make no money from this fic. GW belongs to Bandai and Sunrise, while.. this story belongs to my warped, evil alter ego. <G> Enjoy!

The Capture - Chapter 8
By Caliko

They set the shuttle down in the clearing with a gentle 'whump' as it hit the soft ground. The sounds of panic slowly died down, leaving only the steady patter of milling feet. Occasionally, curses would rise on the dusty battlefield, followed swiftly by the clash of metal on metal as swordsmen would battle to escape.

Cathy unclasped her seat belt, smiling wide as she glanced at her obviously reluctant companion. Hilde was slowly following suit, not in too much of a hurry to leave the ship and face her barbarian husband.

"He's not going to bite, you know." She teased, "That is.. unless you ask him."

"Cathy!" Hilde giggled, despite herself. "Oh god.. how am I going to explain this?"

"Hey, Darlin', I missed you?"

"That's not going to work." She stood up and peeked out of the window, quickly drawing back when Duo saw her. "We're not like that."

"HILDE!" She cringed as his voice bellowed outside. "Get out here!"

"There's no Hilde in here!" She answered, forcing her voice down an octave.

"Hilde!" Cathy hissed, "Shame on you! You know you're going to have to 'fess up!"

"No I don't! I'll hide in the closet and wait for the rest of the troops to arrive! THEN.. I'll sneak away on one of the extra cruisers, and he'll never know!"

Her blue eyes were wide, nearly crazed, and Cathy was horrified, thinking that she actually believed it.

"Get out here, Hilde!" Duo pounded on the side of the ship with his sword, "I know it's you!"

The tiny brunette pushed Cathy to the door, then ducked into the supply closet. "let him in, and try to get him to believe it wasn't me!"

Cathy sighed, then opened the hatch as Hilde closed the closet. Within moments, an angry Lord Maxwell stormed inside, his earlier fears gone the moment he saw his wife's face peeking out of the strange machine's window.

"Where is she?" He demanded, brushing past the woman as he took in the interior of the ship. This close, it was obviously just a machine - deadly, but maneuvered by humans.

"Who?"

Duo examined the woman, registering her features and hairstyle. Then, satisfied that it hadn't been her, he narrowed his eyes and gave her his haughtiest look.

"Where is Hilde?" He asked, leaving no room for argument.

Cathy blanched under the almighty gaze of the hellish warrior, and squeezed her eyes shut. Then, feeling guilty, she pointed to the closet and ran to the door. "I'll wait outside until the rest of our people arrive."

Then, she was out the door, almost jogging to get out of his company.

Duo watched the strange woman leave, then turned to his wife's hiding place, frowning. Slowly, he advanced, watching as the door opened a crack, then slammed shut.

"Come out, Wife." He ordered, "Your friend already confessed."

Lord Maxwell ignored the low curse that came from beyond the door as he leaned up against the wall. "You do NOT want me to come in there after you, Hilde."

Hilde slowly pushed the door open, revealing a small closet filled with tools and food supplies. Stepping back into the light, she glared up at the man that towered over her, daring him to say something as his eyes hardened over the strange material that encased her body.

"There's no room." she said defiantly. "And you SHOULD be grateful."

"Grateful? That you disobeyed me?" He was incredulous. "That you risked your life, coming out in such immodest clothing and flying through the air in this demon infested machine? GRATEFUL that a woman had to come to my aid, embarrassing me and my men? Oh, I can SEE that I should be grateful!"

Hilde simply stood back, waiting for him to run out of breath. "Yes, grateful." She finally said, "Grateful that I cared enough to convince my commander to let me find you! Grateful that I got your brother out of danger, and arranged for aid from my people. Grateful that I sent Captain Chang and Major Po to Lord Yuy's with warning. Grateful that I am prepared to destroy my own brother because I know that he's insanely evil!" She turned on him, her eyes flashing as she poked him in the chest with each sentence. "Your problem, is that you are an idiot. You get help, literally saving your worthless hide, and you are too proud to accept it gracefully, because it came from a woman! DAMMIT! That attitude is the reason why I left this worthless planet!"

"Left? Planet? What are you talking about? What is this thing, anyway? Those clothes? That fire that came out of that strange light? Hilde, WHAT ARE YOU?"

Her lips quirked, her good humor restored as she realized what must be running through his head. A loud buzz sounded from the console, and she walked over to turn it off as she organized her thoughts. Looking out the window, she watched as her troops started to land in the clearing, then spill out to offer what aid they could.

"Well, I AM human, if that's what's worrying you." She tilted her head back, letting him see her amusement. "But, I am also Lieutenant Schbeiker from the Galactic Alliance Navy."

He shook his head, disliking to have to admit to even more confusion. "I don't understand." He held his head in his palm, as if he had a headache.

"Don't worry, Duo. By tonight, you will. Now? I have to go get my people organized." Hilde pointed out the window, enjoying how his eyes sort of popped. "It's getting a bit hectic out there."

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Wufei met Lord Yuy's eyes bravely, refusing to quail beneath that frigid cobalt gaze as the earls own messenger reported the news of Hell Keep's fall. Then, seeing the worry flash in the man's gaze, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, motioning towards the back of the hall, he waited, ignoring the surprised grumbles of the crowd, as Sally marched to his side.

Her mind clearly on the matter at hand, she too met Lord Yuy's gaze as she gave her report in perfect militaristic form. No emotion leaked in her voice, and she held her body tense, at the ready. Soon, she was explaining the Outworlders, and their mission.

More complaints echoed throughout the hall, but they were tempered by the knowledge that help was offered without commitment. The general attitude being, 'Let's deal with the upstart first, the invasion second.'. It was turning out just as Chang had hoped.

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Duo wandered across the field, taking in all that he could. It was.. disconcerting that these people had been secretly monitoring his world for years, insulting that they took their woman and trained them to be, of all things, soldiers. It annoyed him to no end that his own wife was one of their officers!

:::This is why you should never marry a woman you know nothing about.:::

Yet, he had to admit, that she was good at it. Her commands were based on logic and common sense, and her men respected that. The only complaints that arose was from his warriors, who were offended by the two women who had taken command of the camp.

::: Could they not even allow me this dignity?:::

Women were telling his warriors what to do, not even pretending to consult with him.

:::MY WIFE, DAMMNIT!:::

And then, it happened. One of his field leeches became obnoxious, insisting that another man's leg would have to be removed. Hilde stood in front of the downed warrior, refusing to let the leech near the leg. Knowing what was about to happen, he started to run towards the scene, praying that he would make it there before he was forced to discipline the offender.

He needn't have worried. The fist came towards Hilde, but she was no longer where she had been. Her men cleared the area, smirking as they allowed the tiny woman room to maneuver. She jumped, delivering one kick to the chest, then landed, and jumped again, landing a kick in the face. Blood spewed out of his nose, as his lady stood up, disgusted.

"Healer, heal thyself." She spat, then, "Get him out of here, and don't let him near anyone else. Collins! Ferry this man to the ship, and see that the medic on duty does all she can to save the leg."

Hilde hung her hands on her hips, slowly spinning around as she looked to see if she was needed anywhere. Then, taking a deep breath, she smiled, and walked towards her tent.

Duo followed at a distance, determined to settle this now. He no longer knew where he fit into all this. It was his domain that was taken, yet she was the one shouting orders. SHE was defending HIM, not the other way around.

What did she need him for? His wife just took down a man three times her size without even sweating! How did she manage to hold herself back when they were at the castle? WHY had she held herself back?

Scowling, he walked into the tent behind her, determined to find out.

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