CHAPTER FOUR
Duo and Ali returned to the lab without much trouble and Ali collapsed on the couch.
"That was more trouble than it was worth." She sighed.
"You're telling me." Duo echoed and also collapsed. "Professor! We got your package!" He called out an Ali covered her ears.
"Do you have to shout?"
"How else will he hear me?" He asked innocently.
"If he's even here." Ali glared and closed her eyes.
"Oh I'm here." Professor G. smirked as he walked into the room. "You two have done well."
Duo crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. "As always."
"Hmm…" Professor G turned to leave and then paused at the door. "Come with me. I have something to show you."
Ali turned to Duo who shrugged. The two stood up and walked with Professor G. down the many halls of the Sweeper Groups HQ. Both Duo and Ali felt their hearts beating in their ears. What was Professor G. showing them? What was he up to? They turned a corner and entered an elevator.
"Where are we going, P.G.?" Ali asked and smirked when Professor G. winced.
"There is a special hanger far below us. That is where we are going." He explained and the elevator started up. "You two have been training hard to pilot Mobile Suits, and you have both been doing very well." He smiled at them. "And so I have a gift. However, this gift is only for one of you. Whichever of you is chosen – after a series of tests, of course – then that person will be the front man, or woman as the case may be. If something should happen to the front man, whichever of you remains, will take their place. Is this understood?"
Ali and Duo nodded.
"Wonderful. Now, may I introduce you to the future…" The elevator stopped and the doors opened to the most magnificent Mobile Suit either Duo or Ali had ever seen. "This…is the Gundam Deathscythe."
Ali and Duo walked out onto the platform that stood at eye level with the giant machine. They're mouths hit the floor as they looked at it.
"Professor…it's…it's…"
"Unbelieveable? Yes I know, my dear Alianna."
"So this is a Gundam…" Duo muttered and Professor G. smirked.
"This suit is made from a new metal called Gundanium alloy. It is the most advanced piece of machinery this world has ever seen. In addition to its incredible strength, Gundanium alloy is electrically nonconductive and cannot be detected by radar."
"Wow…" Ali whispered. She turned to Professor G. "Is this what all Mobile suits are going to be made from now?"
Professor G. shook his head. "No, my dear. Gundanium alloy is extremely expensive and can only be produced in zero-gravity. Mass production is impossible."
"Then why make one? What's this thing for?" Duo asked skeptically.
"This is to execute Operation Meteor."
Ali and Duo crossed their arms but didn't speak.
"Operation Meteor was created to destroy the Earth Alliance and bring freedom to the colonies. You will be its leaders."
Ali raised a brow and Duo chuckled. "You've got to be kidding me." He said.
"You actually think we would kill innocent people in order to bring about peace?"
Professor G smirked and turned to leave the room. "I'll let you think about it." And the doors shut behind him.
Ali turned to Duo and sighed. "What do we do now?"
"I don't know…with something like that," He pointed to the Gundam, "the people of Earth don't stand a chance." He sighed.
Ali turned and looked at the colossal creation before them. "I don't mind killing those who deserve it, but innocents? I…I can't do it."
Duo nodded. "Me neither." He sighed and turned to her. "We have to destroy it."
She nodded. "Yeah…" She turned to him. "It's Earth's only hope. Peace can not be brought with the shedding of innocent blood."
Duo nodded and offered his hand to his partner. She took it and they shook. "I'll get the bombs and hide them in my room."
She nodded. "I'll hack into the computer systems and alter the security cameras so you can get in."
Duo nodded. They both stared at one another for a moment.
"Be careful." They said at the same time. They both smiled, nodded and ran off in opposite directions.
With the bombs securely hidden underneath Duo's bed and the security camera's altered, Ali and Duo sat at the small table in the corner of the room watching the monitor of Ali's laptop.
"The camera's have shifts. My additions will go into effect as soon as the next shift starts." She explained.
"Great. So how long do we have?"
"Another couple of hours."
Duo nodded and leaned back into his chair. It's too bad we have to destroy it. That suit is amazing."
Ali nodded. "Yes. Maybe too amazing." She turned to him. "I'd love to be able to pilot it…at least once."
Duo nodded. "Oh me too. It would be awesome! And it can't be detected by radar? I mean come on! That's awesome!"
Ali giggled and nodded. She turned to watch the various people walk down the hall through her laptop. She sighed and turned to Duo. "This could really cost us, you know. Destroying something that Professor G. has been working on for years? He may even kill us."
Duo nodded and frowned. "I thought about that. And you're probably right." He sat up. "But we can't let Deathscythe be used to evil. We just can't."
She nodded and looked back at the screen. "I'll…I'll miss you…if…well, you know…"
Duo looked over at her. "Yeah…I'll miss you too."
She turned and their eyes locked. Suddenly, Ali found that she couldn't move or even think. All she could see was Duo's dark violet eyes. Duo smiled and found himself leaning forward.
"You know…this…this may be our last night among the living." He whispered as his lips drew nearer to hers.
She nodded. "Yeah…you're right. We…we may want to conceder this closely."
"There's so many things we…haven't…done…yet." Duo hesitated when his lips were hovering against hers.
"Yeah…haven't…done…" She muttered and their lips touched.
They pulled apart quickly and looked at each other. Duo smiled and stood up, pulling Ali with him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her again, this time with more passion. Ali melted into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Duo's neck. Duo pulled back again and looked at her with a smile and suddenly something occurred to him; something that he had known for years but never admitted it to himself. He ran his thumb against her cheek.
"I love you, Ali."
Alianna's eyes widened. She searched his eyes for any sign of a joke. When she found none, she smiled.
"You do?"
Duo nodded. "I have for a long time. I just…didn't want to admit it."
She chuckled slightly. "Why not? What's so wrong with being in love?"
Duo sighed and let go of her. He turned and walked back to watch the laptop screen. "Do you know why I'm called the God of Death?"
Ali shook her head and he chuckled darkly. "Because death follows me."
He turned back around and watched Ali's confused expression. He continued in a dark tone.
"In my life, everyone who has ever meant anything to me has died, but I'm still here. In every instance of death, I should have died too but I didn't." He smirked. "So I became the God of Death."
Ali smiled sadly and walked up to him. She placed her hands on either side of his face. "Well, since we're sharing…" She winked. "Do you know why they call me Goddess?"
He shook his head and loosely wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Well, when I was a child in the slums of L2, I had this friend. He was a religious man but he wasn't appreciated by the church. They said his ideals were too erratic. He was…sort of a father figure to me. He gave me food and a place to stay every once and a while. Anyway, he always used to tell me about this goddess. Her name was Anna and she loved to help the helpless. She had this power that could heal people when they were sick or hurt. Well, one day, when I was having dinner with him, he had a heart attack. I did what I could for him, but he was beyond my help. Before he died, he told me that I was like the goddess in his stories. I started crying and told him that I couldn't be like her because I couldn't heal him. And then he told me something that I will never forget."
Duo smiled. "What's that?"
Ali smiled. "He said, 'Death comes to us all. It is neither a sickness nor a sentence. It is simply an obstacle we all must over come.' After that, I added the name Anna to my first name and started calling myself The Goddess."
Duo smirked. "That's a great story." He said, stroking her cheek with his palm.
She nodded. "So in that since…" She winked. "We're a perfect pair. We cancel each other out."
Duo laughed and nodded. "You have a point." He leaned in to her again. "And..you did say pair didn't you?"
She smirked. "Yes. Because…believe it or not…I love you too."
He smiled and kissed her lips softly.
"You know…" he glanced over at the screen and back to her. "We still have an hour and a half…"
Ali smirked. "And…what are you suggesting, Mr. Maxwell?" She giggled as Duo pushed her backwards onto the bed.
"Oh…I don't know…" He laid her down and then joined her. "But I'm sure we can think of something…"
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Duo collapsed on top of her, panting heavily. She released her grip on him with her legs and he rolled off of her onto the bed. She was trying desperately to catch her breath as she curled up next to him.
"Wow…" She breathed.
Duo nodded trying to swallow. "Yeah…wow…"
She turned to him. "That was amazing…"
He chuckled and nodded. "I'll say." He turned over and smiled at her. He reached up and stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I love you, Alianna Westwood."
She smiled. "I love you too, Duo Maxwell."
Duo chuckled and leaned in for another kiss when a beeping filled the room. Ali sighed and turned over. The laptop was flashing.
"Show time…" She said and turned back to him.
He sighed, annoyed and nodded. "Duty calls."
They stood and pulled their clothes back on.
"You'll only have a few minutes to get all the bombs set." She explained as she sat back down in front of her laptop. "I'll be watching you the whole time and warn you if someone is coming."
He nodded. "Right. I'll be quick." He smiled at her and the shared one last kiss before he ran out of the room.
Ali turned her attention to the monitor and sighed. "Hurry, Duo…"
Duo ran down the corridor with the bombs securely tucked under his arms. Finding the hanger wasn't hard and he ducked in quickly. Quickly and quietly he attached all the bombs to various parts of the Gundam and then stood to admire his handy work.
"There," he wiped his forehead, "the bomb's are in place." He looked around and smirked. "That oughta do it." He looked down at the large face of Deathscythe and sighed.
"Sorry Deathscythe…but it's time for you to face the reaper." He jumped off of the Gundam and ran out of the hanger. He paused just outside the door and pushed the manual timer.
He froze. Nothing happened. He pushed it again. Still nothing.
"What!" He pushed it several more times. "It's not going off." He glared at the device in his hands. "C'mon you stupid bomb! Explode!"
"Duo!"
Duo jerked around and watched Professor G. walk out of the darkness.
Ali gasped when she saw Professor G.'s figure.
"Oh no!" She exclaimed and ran out of her room and down the hall.
I have to get there! I don't know what I'll do but I have to get there!
"It's no use, I've removed the fuses." Professer G. said and dropped a handful of fuses to the floor.
Duo shouted and threw the explosion device to the floor. "Damn it! You knew all along, didn't you!"
The professor shrugged. "Deathscythe is a piece of art. Why blow it up?"
Duo glared. "I won't let it be used for mass-murder."
"So," Professor G. moved forward and stole the gun Duo had tucked in his pants, "you would have killed me too?"
Duo glared. "If your plan gets carried out it will be the death of peace for the entire colony."
Ali's footsteps echoed down the hall. She came to a halt just before she ran into Professor G. He glanced at her and then turned back to Duo.
"Then why don't you outsmart me instead?" Duo raised a brow. "Steal Deathscythe!"
Duo's eyes widened. "What?"
"Forget about Operation Meteor." Professor G. said and tossed the gun back to Duo. "Go to Earth on your own…" He said and turned around "…as death."
Duo and Ali stared after the old man as he walked back down the darkened hall. Duo turned to Ali and they locked eyes.
"'Death' sounds better than mass-murder." He said with a sad expression.
Ali sighed and nodded. She stared into his eyes for a long time before she smiled. "Good luck, Duo."
He smiled and nodded to her before turning and running back into the hanger. Ali moved and watched him climb inside. Before the cockpit closed, he waved at her and then he was gone. She watched the suit fly up through the metal shaft until it disappeared.
"I hear the Earth Alliance has a new department."
Ali jerked around to see Professor G. standing behind her.
"The Earth Alliance?"
He nodded. "Under Treize Khushrenada. He calls them the Specials. They believe in the true form of war. You'd fit right in."
She sighed and then nodded. "How do I get there?"