Secret Admirer

Note: This is my first Gundam Wing fan fiction. Here we meet a young girl named Alegra who unknowingly to the Force, works for OZ...And she wants to turn over a new leaf.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."—proverb

Chapter 1—The Party Invitations

The bright sun filtered into the window of Duo's house, causing him to blink and hide his face for a moment. Shortly, Duo woke up from his king-sized bed, wearing a black robe and hair down and matted across him like a blanket. He swiped the hair matted to his face over his shoulder and yawned. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He made his way towards the bathroom. He showered quickly, wrapping himself in a white towel. He gazed at himself in the mirror. "Can anyone look as handsome and studly as I ?", he thought, giving himself a wink. Humility ? He didn't know the meaning of the word. He brushed his teeth, braided his hair and flipped it over his shoulder onto his bare back. Finally he slipped on his formal black outfit, kissed his cross and went to the kitchen to drink some Coca Cola and make Hot Pockets for breakfast. As he was eating breakfast, Duo's doorbell was rung. "Comiiiing ! Hold on !", he said, smiling as usual. He answered and the mailman had left. "Funny, he always stays to talk to me about every day things...", he thought to himself, hand under his chin. There was a red letter with a red rose lying atop it, which had a fragrance of lilacs and honeysuckle. The fragrance was very alluring. Delicate and artistic hands no doubt crafted the calligraphy on the letter. He smoothed back his hair with a cocky grin and sly smile. "Ah, an admirer ey ? Let's just see what the little lady has to say to dear old me.", he thought, the smirk still painted upon his face. The letter read, "You are cordially invited to the Ball. Wear your best and formal attire when you come to attend. Bring a friend if you like. PS: You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen.". Duo held the rose to his nose again and breathed in deeply. "Too bad I'm dating, but...One little outing shouldn't hurt now...Should it ?", he pondered. Another thought that crossed his mind was perhaps the other members of the Gundam Troop might have gotten the same letter...These things always seemed to happen out of the blue. Maybe his gut intuition was correct. Duo had an uncanny sense of instinct that led him to victory. In all probability his "guess" about the rest of the team having letters was correct...and he discovered that he was correct on his way to Cathedral.

Chapter 2—Figuring Out The Mystery

Duo peddled his bicycle to the Cathedral. It was a marvelous day today, not a cloud in the sky. He could see the ocean over the bridge. On his way across the bridge of this beautiful colony he called "home" were Quatre, Heero, Trowa, and Wu Fei. They were all looking at the ocean, and talking to one another about something. Quatre had a slight blush on his face, hand behind his head. He turned his handle bar to meet the curve and stopped to meet them. "Hey guys !", he called. "Did you receive a really weird letter in the mail with a rose scented with lilacs and honey suckle ?", Heero questioned. "Yes, I did.", Wu Fei said, looking slightly solemn about it. Quatre blushed again. "I don't know who this young lady is but her handwriting is absolutely gorgeous !", he said, his eyes sparkling a bit. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you'd have a little thing for this mystery maid ?", Duo said. All the other guys started to laugh, except for Trowa who didn't make much comment. "I think we should find out who she is...She says that the party is 8:00 PM till 12:00 PM.", Trowa mentioned. "Wait a minute ! Mine didn't have any times set on it !", Duo noticed, holding out his red letter for the others to see. "Mine didn't have "bring a friend" on it...", Quatre said a little slowly, and meekly. Laughing nervously as the guys pretended to mock strangle him, he placed his hand behind his head and sweat-dropped. "No time to waste. I say we look for the mystery maiden.", Heero said, firmly and in a determined tone. "Missing one church sermon won't eternally damn me.", Duo thought silently, a sly grin on his face.

Chapter 3—Secluded Whereabouts

It seemed that the 4 of them were on a wild goose chase. They had been looking all over the forested area of the colony, not being able to find a single clue to where this ball would take place. But in the depths of the woods, there was a rather large building, lights flashing in the distance. One large spotlight was streaking the sky, but it couldn't be seen too well because it was still in the middle of the day. They talked amongst each other and thought of a plan of action...after lunch.
After eating, the 4 drew straws. Duo's was the shortest, next to Quatre's. "Looks like you're the chosen ones.", Heero said, chuckling. "Good luck, short stuff !", Wu Fei added. "Very funny. Ha ha. I forgot to laugh.", Duo said, rolling his blue eyes, obviously annoyed. Quatre just brightly, tenderly smiled.

Chapter 4—Friend Or Foe

Duo searched the grounds for a bouqet of wildflowers, and made a quite impressive one for improvosation. Quatre followed behind him and the others followed, serving as watches. Duo heard a voice come over his walkie talkie..."This is how we're keeping in touch got it ?", Heero said. Duo and Quatre nodded. "I'll make myself scarce in the orchestra...Luckily I'll blend right in.", Quatre mentioned, walking quietly up to the mansion like estate. Duo knocked on the door. A young lady answered the door. She had honey-blonde hair and chestnut eyes. She wore a modestly short silk black dress, her hair tied in a French-twist. Her mouth was the color of wine, and her figure was perfect in every way. Duo was immediatley smitten with her. He handed her her bouqet of flowers. She accepted them graciously, laughing fayely. She blushed. "I'm Alegra. Alegra Uzkei. You may call me Lea if you like. That's what all my friends call me.", she said. She looked at Quatre. "Sir, are you part of the orchestra ?", she questioned, raising an eyebrow. She knew it was Quatre, but she made it sound convincing. "Yes, ma'am. As a matter of fact, I am. Now if you may pardon me...", he said, politely bowing and moving past them. He made his way to the orchestra, which was perched on a rather elegant looking Victorian style stage. He played "Kiss From a Rose" with them, as Alegra took Duo's hand. Duo had to fight for composure. "That's Quatre, isn't it ? Shh, don't worry. I'm not going to tell anyone. And I know who you are.", Alegra said. Duo gasped, taken aback. "How do you know us ?", he asked. She continued dancing with him, her cheeks becoming redder. Alegra didn't want to admit she loved Duo but it was evident upon her Angelic face. Duo smiled at her, enjoying the moment. She was as sweet as she was beautiful. "I work for OZ. I read information about you, about your Gundams...", she said, becoming sad. The music began to slow down and she took his hand, fighting back tears. "OZ...You work for those creeps ?", he asked. "I don't want to work for them any longer. This war is so sophomoric...All wars are.", she said. This time she let herself cry. "I didn't let them know all about you...I lied to them saying I could find no more information. I let your secrets rest with me. They'll never get them.", Alegra sobbed. Duo wanted to console her but was afraid to. She gripped his hand gently. Suddenly, in a jerk of her hand she was outside, and was in her car. She sat behind the wheel, getting ready to start it. Inside of the Estate, Quatre heard the voices of his friends. "Did Alegra say what I thought she said ?", Wu Fei questioned. "Yes, she did. Sounds like she's on our side...But can we trust her ?", Quatre replied, only making the question more complex.
Alegra was about ready to start the car, her eyes glazed with tears. Duo placed her hand on her shoulder. "Alegra ! Alegra, listen to me ! What do you think you are doing ? Are you nuts ?!", he said. She blankly stared at the road ahead of her. "I want the information to die with me. OZ will be looking for me...and...", Alegra said. Duo raised his voice, gently grasping her shoulder. "Nonsense ! Alegra...Listen to me. You are on our side, and suicide is not an option.", Duo said. She turned around and looked at him, and embraced him unexpectedly. "Thank you, Duo. I knew I wasn't listening to reason.", Alegra said, wiping her tears. She got out of the car and headed back into the Estate. Quatre saw them come back in. "Did you hear anything out there Heero ?", he asked, still playing his violin to the tune of "The Way You Look Tonight". "Yes. We heard it, loud and clear.", Heero answered, almost indiscreetly. "Then she's like us...She's fighting for freedom and peace. Tell her she can join us if she likes.", Trowa said, still looking solemn. "But where will she stay ? She can't just live with one of us...", Quatre mentioned. Duo was still dancing with Alegra on the dance floor, oblivious to anything else...Alegra smiled and laughed, turning slightly pink again. "I want you to meet some friends of mine.", Duo offered. "Splendid ! I've wanted to mee all of you since the moment I read about you.", Alegra said. She knew where the others had been hiding. They had been hiding in the bushes, watching and listening. She invited them in, and like Duo they were all smitten with her. This girl might be the link to overthrow OZ...

Chapter 5—The Beginning of OZ's Fall

Since Alegra had no where to go and one pair of clothes, the guys treated her to a night on the town at the nearest mall to buy lots and lots of new black clothes. Her favorite color was black. She was most like Duo, but she was kind, sweet, beautiful, and an Angel on Earth. She had incredible intelligence. She could hack into any computer system, and could talk anyone's ear off about philosophy. She was in a word, incredible. And all the four of them were slowly falling in love with her. The problem about this was the four already had girlfriends, and she was falling in love with one of them. Duo had a feeling it was his "luck" to have the love of this woman, but he knew he would have to explain how he felt...
Alegra walked into the room, wearing a black tank-top, courderoy pants, black shoes, and hair tied in a pony-tail. She handed Duo another rose that she had recently picked...She handed it to him. "Alegra...", he said cautiously, placing the rose in a vase. He watered it, and smelled it. It had that sweet smell of honeysuckle and lilac to it, that cologne that seemed to put some sort of spell on him. "Yes, what is it ?", she asked, her eyes sparkling. "You know my heart belongs to another, don't you?", Duo asked. She nodded. "Of course I do, I just care about you. I like to see you smile.", she said. It was simple and lovely. It was beyond explination how Alegra brought happiness...Maybe it was because her name meant that ! "Have you been figuring out what OZ is up to ?", Duo said, changing the subject. She raced to the computer and threw herself over the chair, landing upon it perfectly. Duo couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, I have complied my info about them. It seems that they are going to make another movement to capture all the colonies and make them work together...whether they like it or not ! It's like forced labor ! How can they do this !", Alegra shouted, banging her fist on the console. Duo was angered by it too. "Can you shut them down ?", Duo asked , curiously. He sounded vengeful. "Yes, I could try to. Heh. They won't be happy about that.", Alegra said, typing as quickly as she could. The other members of the Gundam Force were asleep while this was happening. But they would learn of the affects later...

Duo called his friends to tell them the good news. "Alegra, you're like Manna from heaven ! How did you do that ?", he asked. "I just know a lot about computers. Just call me Ms. Hacker. ", she said, winking. Catching her off guard he hugged her. She laughed out loud. OZ would be down for sometime. They would be back up again, but not for a while. Somehow someway, Alegra was going to lead to their gradual downfall...But after that occurred then what ?

Chapter 6—Back To Battle

OZ had sent out troops again once systems were up and running. The Gundam force decided to send their secret weapon (being Alegra) to the OZ headquarters...drop her in there and let her hack at the mainframe computer. If she did that, then OZ would be finished ! This was a most dangerous mission though. They were worried Alegra would get hurt, but like she said to them many times, "I'm a Warrior...I can take it !"

In the Gundams, the four fought like tigers to best the forces of OZ. Meanwhile, Alegra had slipped into OZ headquarters as silent as a ninja. No one could see her coming, thanks to her black garb. Her soft-soled feet made it easier for her to glide across the floor and not make much of a disturbance. She easily made her way to the main computer but as she suspected it was guarded. Carefully, she placed on a gas-mask that she took out from her satchel and then took a small capsule of sleeping powder out and threw it into the room. She looked at her watch. "Any moment now They should be sleeping like babies." In a few mere seconds, the guards were fast asleep and she could move to the console. Of course she had to shove a dead weight of a guard out of the way. "Sheesh...This guy should ease off the fast food !", she thought, after shoving him aside. Then she began to work, tying as fast as she could.

The battle raged on. OZ's forces kept on coming, and wouldn't back off for a minute. Quatre hated fighting these people, he just wanted it all to end. They were taking quite a beating though, and it seemed like they were allgoing to be destroyed. They never quit fighting though. The colonies needed freedom and peace, and the only way to make it happen was by fighting. It was human nature to fight for something desirable. That was primally wired into humans. All of a sudden, the Leos the Aries had all shut down. The only one left standing was Lieutenant Zeks in his TallGeese...And it also was beging to slow down. "BLAST !", he swore, hitting the console. He knew that he had already failed. The Gundam Wing had won once again. Retreating, he swore to himself there would be another day where he would face the Gundams again and win. But for now, he would flee with what energy the TallGeese had left. The pilots of the Aries and Leos had abandoned the cockpit, and the Gundams had left the area as the Leos and Aires collapsed.

Alegra ran out of OZ headquarters, awaiting her friends to pick her up. OZ headquarters would be down for many days, maybe even a month. But until then, there would be a time of peace and the guys could go on with their "normal" lives.

Chapter 7—Alegra Leaves the Gundam Wing

Alegra had kept in touch with her family, but she knew that they were desperately missing her. She wasn't a pilot of a Gundam like her friends, and she knew that she had to go her own way. She had to worry about her education. She wanted to grow up to be a computer technitian. The idea of being a rougue for Peace was intreiguing, but she could live the rest of her days in peace. She admitted to herself that it had been exciting being a rebel. But this had to come an end.

Outside in a rural setting, in a café, Alegra talked to her friends. "You are a magnificent hacker...How did you learn how to do that ?", Wu Fei questioned. "Well, I'm an only child. So, to pass the time, I would surf the net and try typing in numerical sequences. I learned that certain numerical sequences can access anything.", Alegra professed. "How did you get involved with OZ ?", Heero asked. They had wondered that all along but never had a chance to ask. Now seemed to be a good time to ask. "After I had been to a church sermon, I was met by a young lady with glasses. She had told me OZ was watching me closely and my skills would be an asset. Well, OZ isn't all it seems. There is no sense of belonging there...Might as well be an atomoton, they would make better candidates to work for them !", Alegra said, slamming her fist into the table. "That was Lady Un, wasn't it ?", Wu Fei questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Yes...That it was. I can't believe I bought into everything she said.", Alegra confessed. "You were young and naïve then, Alegra. But you've got us now !", Duo said, smiling brightly. "He has a point there.", Trowa spoke up, a slight trace of a grin on his face. Alegra was finding it hard to leave these gentlemen but she had to tell them how she had enjoyed spending time with them. Slowly, almost sadly she did. The guys knew this day had to come at some point and time, but they could understand. One by one, they embraced her and wished her well. "You will keep in touch with us, won't you Alegra ?", Quatre meekly asked. "Of course I shall. You've been so kind to me and have been such good friends to me. I'd be insane if I didn't keep in touch with you.", Alegra said. She wrote down her email address on a piece of napkin and told them to keep writing to her. "God bless you !", she said, waving to them and leaving. The sun reflecting in her hair almost made it look like she had a halo. "And you !", Duo yelled back. "Take care, Alegra !", all the rest of them said at different times. Even though they would write to her daily, her presence would be missed.

Epliogue:

Algera was missed, but she managed to bring the Gundam Force happiness through her emails to them. She told them how life was treating her and how one day she would see them again if an Era of Peace was to ever come to the colonies. They could only hope and pray for such a thing to come to pass. But, as long as they kept fighting, hoping and believing such an Era would one day come to pass.

THE END

By: Elizabeth Berndt September 17, 2000