Back at the base, Fred, as usual, sparred a few rounds with Athrun and the others.
"Bro, still as impressive as ever."
Flay smiled at the young man who had just stepped down from the ring.
She tossed a towel right onto his sweat-drenched head.
"Be gentle, or no one's going to like you."
Taking the towel and wiping his head, Fred's mouth twitched as he said, exasperated.
"None of your business!"
Meeting Flay's eye-roll, the young man chuckled and continued, "What's up? Skipping work to come see me?"
"Can't I come see you without skipping work?"
"That's not it."
Fred shrugged. "It's just that lately, whenever you skip work, you're out shopping with Kira."
"That's not true!"
"I do still come back for meals, you know!!"
Flay muttered quietly.
"Bring him back for dinner sometime too."
"I know..."
Flay shot her brother a glare to hide her embarrassment.
"And what about you? How do you feel about Lacus?"
"Cough, cough!"
Hearing that topic out of nowhere, Fred couldn't help but cough.
"What do you mean, how do I feel?"
"Don't play dumb!"
Flay put her hands on her hips, looking exasperated.
"If you like her, hurry up and confess!"
"Lacus is in high demand!"
Though he figured even if someone else confessed, she probably wouldn't say yes.
"Uh..."
At his sister's words, the image of Lacus's charming face surfaced in Fred's mind.
At first he'd thought of her as a little sister, but as the years passed, Fred had gradually come to realize that he really did seem to like Lacus.
And this wasn't the vague, fleeting feeling he'd joked about back on the Moon—it was an appreciation and affection that had grown with the passage of time.
But, there was still one very important problem.
If Lacus spent her days running around the world for the sake of peace, wouldn't his retirement plans go down the drain?
That didn't quite fit his plans.
Retiring while taking Lacus along...
Could that work?
Though, it did seem possible, right?
He'd gone into hiding a few times before.
"Even more of a coward than me!"
Seeing Fred not answer, Flay grumbled in dissatisfaction.
Over these past few years, Flay could see clearly—the two of them clearly had feelings for each other.
But neither had taken a step forward.
It was driving her crazy.
In her view, her brother and Lacus would be great together.
Lacus was such a gentle person—once the war ended, she could drag this future sister-in-law around everywhere having fun.
"Wait, what do you mean, 'more of a coward than you'?"
Though Flay was just urging him on, Fred quickly caught something off in her words.
"It's... exactly what it sounds like!"
Looking at Flay's flushed little face, Fred's mouth twitched.
"You two... use protection."
"Go to hell! Just go confess already, you bastard of a brother!"
Bickering and roughhousing, the two boarded the train heading to their home in April City.
...
The next day, at a restaurant in April City, Fred sat face to face with Lowe.
The private room held only the two of them.
Well, and Eight, sitting on the table.
"Thanks for before."
Lowe said with a carefree grin.
"No problem, I wanted something out of it too."
Fred said, his gaze shifting to Eight on the table.
"Yeah, I know."
The other party had given them considerable convenience within PLANT.
Gradually, Lowe began to sense a few things.
After all, someone who had gone about unmasked back in ORB was now wearing a mask.
And according to his own contacts, there seemed to be a masked figure within PLANT known as the Shadow.
Though unknown to the outside world, rumors had long persisted that this person was the true core of ZAFT.
"Your identity must be no ordinary one."
Lowe said sincerely.
"Since you've figured that out, why did you come?"
Fred asked.
"Because you don't look like a bad person."
Lowe's serious expression didn't last long before it was quickly replaced by an earnest smile.
"Mm."
"I only want a portion of Eight's underlying code."
Fred nodded and got straight to the point.
He wasn't surprised that the other party had guessed something.
After all, they weren't fools, and his team included that professor with connections to the Dawn Organization's director.
"Why?"
Lowe asked, eyes gleaming.
"Because I want world peace?"
"That sounds like a rather grand goal, I suppose, but in my view, it really is the key to maintaining balance in the future."
Artificial Intelligence was a dangerous technology.
After all, it could very well turn war into a pure contest of resources, dragging both sides into an endless war of attrition and mutual self-destruction.
But if he didn't develop it, someone else eventually would.
Keeping it in his own hands was the right answer.
Not to mention the future existence of the Glory Defender.
AI would mostly be icing on the cake.
It would make his operations go more smoothly, and when he eventually retired without so many guards and squad members around, the AI could also protect his personal safety.
In short, it was fairly important, but not to the point of being absolutely essential.
Meanwhile, Lowe gazed at the young man's earnest eyes, pondered for a moment, and finally nodded firmly.
"I've analyzed some of the code myself. I can send you that, but not Eight."
The other party was most likely a big shot in ZAFT. Even if Lowe refused, if the man had ill intentions, there would be no escaping him.
Of course, he didn't seem like that kind of person.
It was precisely because of this that Lowe ultimately made his decision.
"No problem."
Fred wasn't surprised by this answer.
"In return, I'll continue to help you."
"You'll also gain ZAFT's protection."
With that, Fred sent a key to Lowe's device.
This thing was essentially a VIP card, proof that one was a good friend of PLANT and the like.
It had plenty of uses.
The reward was quite generous indeed.
"Great!"
Lowe breathed a sigh of relief, his smile growing even brighter.
"I hope your plan succeeds!"
"Mm, I hope so too. And I wish you all safety as well."
Fred soon saw Lowe off, then gazed at the data before him, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly.
They would probably meet again someday.
After all, while Lowe belonged to the Junk Guild, he was also on good terms with Lacus and the others.
And though his strength was limited, his heart was with the world.
For Lowe, Fred felt more the appreciation of a chance encounter.
He hoped everything would go smoothly.
He studied the data for a while longer.
Then a graceful figure appeared in the private room.
"Got it?"
Lacus asked.
"Mm, got it."
The young man nodded.
"When do we depart?"
"In about a week. Once Freedom's final tests are complete, we set out."
The next mission was to head to the Black Sea to expose and destroy Blue Cosmos's Enhanced Person facility, and in the process force the Atlantic Federation to reveal their hidden cards.
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