Apollo sat in his new room onboard the Eternal, contemplating the more recent events. Specifically his new task of testing the Parallel Program.
"The Parallel Program is designed for us to test the best up and coming mobile suit pilots to launch the new Prototype models, Gundam Parallel Alpha and Gundam Parallel Omega. Among the thousands of applicants there can only be two selections to be the pilot. First of which came from the UHFS Military Academy's prodigy, Reina Kimura. However we were not able to find another suitable candidate out of the selection pool because many of the candidates when faced with the decision to sacrifice their lives in one of two inescapable options chose to forfeit their application, and those who would simply did not have the piloting skill to match the needs of the program."
The Captain looked at Apollo dead in the eyes and continued, "We needed someone that had both the sufficient piloting skill and someone who is not afraid of no-win situations in order to take on the task of piloting the Gundam Parallel Omega or Alpha. That is where you come in, Apollo."
Zachariah added on, "Equipped to the Parallel Gundam Alpha and Omega is a shared wormhole that powers the two suits. In the case that your suit goes critical you have one job."
"What is that," Apollo asked.
"You are to fly it into the heart of the Grey Matter swarm and destroy it via the singularity that powers the suit."
"That's insane!"
"Apollo," he said with a commanding voice, "you are basically everything we need out of the pilot for the Parallel Gundam, and practically the only option. You are practically an ace even without the training from the UHFS academy. You also have nothing to lose. You can either choose to die in the battlefield or choose to live out the rest of your life behind bars or even tried for treason. Given the situation you are already currently in might as well take the former and at least die a hero than the enemy of the state." There was a long dead air that filled the room.
"With that said, our training in the Parallel will begin next Monday," the Captain concluded, closing the documents about the Parallel Program. "Now rest up on the Eternal, get to know the crew because they'll be your new friends while we are on active duty."
Apollo turned over in his bed slightly frustrated, "what the hell is this crap?" he said to himself. He ran his hands through his brown and messy hair. He felt uneasy about the fact that he was about to become the UHFS's guinea pig in their Parallel Gundam test project. He looked at the time and decided to take a shower, he recalled that he hadn't taken one since his home was raided back at Onogoro Island. He undressed and stepped into the shower. Afterwards, he came out dressed in his new ZAFT Mobile Suit Red Uniform and went around exploring the Eternal. There weren't many crew members on at the time aside from Zachariah, Shinonome, and the Captain so he sat in the dining hall by himself.
Another crew member he didn't recognize walked into the room, she wore a Red Uniform like all ZAFT MS pilots, but she held an entirely different presence in the room compared to Zachariah and the Captain; she was more like a younger Shinonome. She had medium length, dark brown hair that went past her shoulders that tinted with dark blonde highlights. She also had more of an Asian, Japanese face, and she wasn't lightweight like Shinonome but a little bit heavier by the looks of it.
"Did you spend enough time staring at me," she exclaimed. Apollo, caught off guard, fell of his chair. "I don't know who you are, but please don't just stare at people for 5 minutes straight without talking to them or anything. It's disturbing."
"Five minutes straight," Apollo thought to himself, "God I'm an idiot. Yet that's pretty impressive." Unknowingly he was actually taking to himself.
"Yeah you are," she replied abrasively.
"How did you know what I was thinking," Apollo exclaimed, "are you some kind of mind reader, or maybe you have telekinetic powers or something."
"No you dimwit, you literally said that all aloud. I can't believe out of all the people that could've been my partner for the Parallel Project, it just had to be you."
"Wait you are in the Parallel Project, that means you are," Apollo had to think back trying to remember her name, "Martha? May? Juna, that's it."
"The name's Reina, Kimura Reina," she said angrily, "now let's say it together."
"Kee-mu-ra ... Ray - ee - na," they both said together.
"You got it, you numbskull," she exclaimed.
"Ah Reina," Apollo replied in a know-it-all tone, "I was just joking with you. Of course I knew your name." She definitely did not meet the standard set by Shinonome. By far the most aggressive girl he had ever met.
"Sure you did," Reina sighed in disbelief. "How did a peanut brain like you get through the application process."
"Well if you could stop calling me an idiot in fifty different ways that would be appreciated," he replied, "also I bypassed the admissions process."
"WHAT?!" she exclaimed, "there were way better candidates than you."
"Well first off, Miss, they weren't better than me since I managed to disarm even the most experienced pilots in an 80 year old GOUF," he paused to take a sip out of his iced coffee and got up, "Second, apparently the government thinks I'm also an expendable but powerful asset to them as I have nowhere else to go after this other than prison and possibly to the Execution Bloc, because I could be charged with treason should I choose to leave. So piloting this volatile test project for the government is my only choice." He looked into her eyes as he said those final words and slouched back into his chair, "OH WOW that was refreshing to get off my chest." The look in her eyes was a mixture of astonishment and disappointment.
"My friends at the academy, were more than qualified to take this position instead of some low life Death Row criminal..."
"Hey you stop there, the Captain and Zachariah told me that they weren't qualified for the reason that they wouldn't be the bigger man. Or didn't have a reason to... You do know what happens if one of us is about to be shot down right?"
"Yes," Reina replied, "we are to fly the Parallel Gundam into Grey Matter and eradicate it via black hole."
"Unfortunately your friends, when faced with that decision couldn't step up to the role of being the sacrifice hero. That's all there is." Distraught, Reina sat there realizing the gravity of the situation. Apollo put his hand on her shoulder as he got up. "Don't worry, Reina, 'cuz with me on our side, we won't fail. I'll make sure we won't." He stopped for a second to think about what he was gonna do next. He drank the last of his coffee and threw it into the garbage bin. "I'm gonna head on over to the flight simulator to clock in some hours on the new suit before we get in it for real on Monday."
He left the room in silence and strode on over to the elevator leading to the training deck. Reina followed him and they entered some hours into the Parallel Gundam Sim.
"Now its time to get to work, " he stated. Upon arriving to their destination Apollo hopped into a simulator module and strapped in and proceeded to run simulator missions for the rest of the day.
"Countdown timing transferred to Apollo Zala, waiting for your commands," the flight deck commander said over the speaker. The HUD glowed to life revealing a simulation of the space around Armory One. The controls unlocked and were prepped for him to use. The clearance checks went from red to green.
"Apollo Zala, Gundam Parallel Omega, Launching." The simulator produced the sounds of the Mobile Suit coming to life and launching off the catapult. The Omega's thrusters shined in a bright blue color as the particles dispersed into the space around it.
"Kimura Reina, Gundam Parallel Alpha, Taking off, " A brilliant show of red and white shined from her mobile suit as it launched from the catapult of the Eternal.
"Beginning operation."