Future and Past
They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. Andy Warhol
He surveyed his future. It was his gift, his calling to be here doing this.
"What is it Julius?" He asked the faithful man before him.
"I searched for the person called Shinigami like you told me," Julius said. "He's in control of the Shadows of L2 and his influence is on most of the Colonies and spreading to Earth. Is he the one, will he help to spread your word?"
"Who is he?" The man asked. "That's what I need to know."
Julius looked at his boss. He knew that he had not gotten all the information he should have. He did not even possess a picture of the elusive Shinigami or even a different name. He only knew Shinigami was a man and little else about him.
"Should I go to L2 to search?" Julius asked worried that he should perhaps have stayed silent.
"That's the first intelligent thing you've said all week Julius," The man sneered briefly. "Go to L2 and find all the information you can find on Shinigami. I need to know the man before I can invite him in on my plans. Leave straightaway Julius."
The man turned back to surveying what would soon be his.
Julius could hardly believe his luck. His boss had hardly insulted him. He must have been happy with the progress Julius and the others were making. Julius was proud and happy too.
He boarded the first flight to L2, landing on colony L2-XP1 the place where the Shadows were. Julius looked around himself with excitement and apprehension. He wandered the streets for a while, only having a credit card his boss had given him. He went into a local diner and asked one of the customers if he knew who Shinigami was.
"Sure do buddy," The man laughed sarcastically. "He's the man upstairs."
The diner shook his head in disgust and paid before leaving quickly. No one else would look at Julius, the people working in the diner seemed reluctant to even let him take a booth. Julius did not like them; they were suspicious people, bad people. There were always bad people or people who were in danger of being corrupted. No one was clean anymore, not even him although he was cleaner than most.
He felt eyes watching him. He looked around to see who it was and noticed that a few tables back in the darkest part of the diner an old man sat watching him. The man had funny gray hair that fell about his head like a mushroom and a big beaky nose. Julius felt uneasy but he stood and walked over to the old man to see if maybe he would talk.
"Do you know who Shinigami is?" Julius asked politely.
"Why do you want to know?" The old man asked with a smile.
'Finally,' Julius thought to himself. 'Someone who is nice, he'll probably answer my questions.'
"I need to find him," Julius said. "My boss told me to."
The old man stared hard at him for several long moments before a nasty grin spread across his features, "I'll tell you all about Shinigami but not here. It's not safe. Come with me."
Julius nodded happily. The old man was creepy but he was helpful. He got up and followed the strange man out from the diner and out into the waiting black car. He was taken to the man's home.
"My name is Julius," He said as they entered the man's home.
"And I'm Professor G," The old man said.
"Now then Julius," G said as they entered into his soundproofed office. "Shinigami is the god of death."
"But who is he?" Julius asked. "That's what I want to know. What kind of person he is."
"He's an honest person," G smiled. "And he's ruthless with his enemies. Above all else Julius, Shinigami is a smart and intelligent person and he thinks far ahead and covers more angles than most people could ever imagine."
"He sounds like someone my boss would like to meet," Julius smiled again. "How would you set up a meeting with Shinigami?"
"You have to die Julius," G sneered as he stuck a needle into Julius' neck.
The young man barely had time to react before he slumped forward in his chair. G pulled the syringe out of him and dragged the body into his small lab. Once there he took some hair samples and then proceeded to thoroughly kill the boy in a vile manner. As a Professor and old man no one would link such a killing to him.
A week later there was a brief news blurb about a young man found brutally murdered and left in an alleyway on L2-XP1. There were no witnesses.
"Damn fool," The old man grunted as he turned off the TV. "That boy owes me for this."
"That boy doesn't owe you shit Prof," A familiar impudent voice said from behind him and he knew the owner of that voice would be smirking at him in that annoying manner he had.
The good professor did not bother turning around to face the intruder. He knew who would be standing there and he had not forgotten what that person looked like even after more than a year of not seeing him. This particular young man's image would be forever burned into his memory.
"What do you want?" The professor asked.
"Your cooperation," The young man stepped slowly around him until he was facing the professor. "You know I can't let you run loose Professor G. It just wouldn't be a good idea."
"Then tell me what you plan to do Duo?" G asked calmly.
"You're going to go and live with Howard," Duo shrugged. "At least there you'll have people to watch you and make sure you play nicely G. I'm forcing you to work for me. You don't have to like it but it's either this or you can end up like that kid you killed for me. It was for me wasn't it?"
G merely nodded. It had been for Duo. Even though he was no longer a Gundam Pilot the boy continued to amaze him. He had been watching for a while now, mesmerized by Duo's growing power and his ability to keep a level head about it. Most men would weaken under it but not Duo, not Shinigami.
"So what will it be?" Duo asked smiling his manic grin of death.
"I'll work for you," G said.
"Good," Duo nodded with a relieved expression. "Come on then Prof. We've got a shuttle to catch."
G followed after the familiar braided figure, the one that was in his nightmares. He was surprised when they were taken to a private area of the nearest shuttle port rather than the commercial section. But then again he should not have been because Shinigami had power now and money.
"This is the Demon King," Duo said proudly as they boarded with one other man trailing along behind them. "She's all mine too. Howard gave her to me after I designed her a few years back. I was kind of surprised that he'd actually had the thing built but he likes to impress me. And this lovely person here is Omar Arman."
"So what exactly do you want from me boy?" G finally asked. "What is it you want me to do for you?"
"I want you to create new schematics for five new Gundams," Duo smirked at G's shocked expression. "Improve upon the old designs. Make their armor stronger and add a few extra weapons and give them all cloaking abilities."
"Why?" G nearly choked in surprise at the order to create machines of war and death. "Are you going to start another war? Is that your grand plan? Why else would you need machines of death?"
"I don't intend for there to be another war ever," Duo was firm on that. "I just want there to be something ready if there is ever the need for them again. Just in case, you know?"
"You think there will be a need don't you?" G frowned but he could see it happening even though he did not want to think such thoughts in case they did actually come true.
"I know it will happen," Duo sighed taking off from the shuttle port and heading out into space. "There's a difference between thinking and knowing something is going to happen. G, do you know anything about Colony A-00132? It's supposed to be the start of the new L5 cluster."
"I heard about it," G confirmed. "But all I know is that its being built through private donation and the benefactor is keeping his identity a secret."
"A big secret more like," Duo snorted and G could see that his violet eyes were dark and troubled. "I can't even get a first name for the guy no matter what searches I run or what databases I hack. All we know is that he's not Chinese."
G said nothing. He knew what was going through his protégé's head, he knew him well. It troubled him that Duo was coming to those types of conclusions though. Perhaps he was paranoid but G thought that unlikely. Duo did not exhibit the signs of paranoia, overly cautious to be sure but never outright paranoia. G decided to do his own digging around once he had settled on with Howard. Omar was silent, merely watching the exchange take place between the former student and mentor.
"What's he on here for?" G asked rudely ignoring Omar's presence by purposely asking Duo instead of Omar himself.
"Howard is taking him down to Earth for me," Duo explained with a slight shake of his head to let G know that he knew what he was doing. "Omar is going to guard my assistant on Earth, Lt. Danzig. The Lt. is more of a lackey than anything else but he is who I relay my orders through."
That was enough of an explanation for G. He knew that Omar was well-trained, better than most of the Arman guards otherwise Duo would not be using him for the job. The rest of the shuttle ride was rather quiet but G did not mind, it gave him time to think over the things he would be doing. It was a short shuttle ride and they made it out to the Anubis in a little less than two hours.
G waited off to the side while Mac took Omar to another part of the Anubis. Howard pulled out several charts which he and Duo were busy pouring over; curious G came up to take a look.
"It sure was nice of Q to give us the abandoned satellite," Duo commented with a flashy grin that quickly turned into a more serious expression. "So what's up and running there Howie?"
"Life support is working, oxygen and gravity," Howard began ticking them off on his fingers. "The cloaking shields were employed last week and they work. Climate control just got all the kinks worked out of it yesterday and food stuff and other things are being delivered there as we speak. Soon the family wing will be opened; I'm projecting that for next month.
"The additions we discussed are half way complete as of yesterday. They should be done in the next few months. We encountered some problems but they were rather minor and easily worked around."
"Good," Duo grinned at the Hawaiian shirt clad man before turning to G to explain a few things to him. "Winner gave us the satellite a couple months ago. It's been abandoned by WEI for about fifteen years. They were planning on destroying it or taking it apart for parts or some other big waste but Q decided I could use it. What's on your mind Prof? I know something's on it. I can tell by your expression."
"I was just considering this L5 problem," G answered truthfully. "Have you tried sneaking someone into the construction crew to see what's going on?"
"I have," Duo frowned, all mirth gone from his face now. "The screening process is horrendous for a simple construction crew. No one from L2 made it. Lt. Danzig got one of his men on it. He heard from them once, a confirmation the benefactor was not of Chinese descent. The next news Danzig got was a condolence letter saying that the man had been killed in a construction accident."
"You don't believe that," G stated.
"Damn straight I don't," Duo growled. "I have no idea what's going on up at L5. No one does. The ESUN isn't even paying any attention to it! Howard, you know what to do, get the Prof over here settled in. I'm going to go and catch up on some sleep."
G watched his former student leave the holding dock. He could see the tension by the way he walked.
"Ah Duo," G shook his head sadly. "Some things never change."