Hello everyone, and welcome to a brand new story!
Well, this is going to be a fun ride. Fun fact, this story actually started off as an idea I had for a Code Geass and XCOM crossover. Yeah, the first segment to the break was originally the start of it. Then I started thinking a bit and had what felt like a much better Metal Gear Solid crossover idea. And my goodness, is it shaping up to something much more interesting in my mind. I might do something along the original crossover idea at some point, but two stories will be more than enough to take care of.
I plan to update this story alongside The Illusive Knight. The Illusive Knight will receive the main attention, as that's the story I've been putting most of my thought into. This story will be receiving a lot of attention as well, so don't start thinking I'm not going to put effort into it. But this story is kind of being used as a way to give me a break, write something different for a bit, and to help me when I just can't write The Illusive Knight.
As it is, Chapter 4 of The Illusive Knight is in the works. I've just had a period where distractions and a brief period of a lack of motivation got to me. That, and the chapter just wouldn't work with me. Then, when I got motivated again by a thought occurring to me of how it could work the way I wanted, I kind of hit writers block. Due to those frustrations but feeling the need to write, this story was born.
For any of you reading this who have no clue what The Illusive Knight is, it's the other story I have going right now. You can check its description on my profile, and I'm going to start keeping an update schedule on there to show current progress. If you're completely new to either of my stories, then welcome! If not, then the above is a message for those who have read The Illusive Knight and are seeing this story.
Now, I'm just going to shut up and let the story do the talking. I hope you all like it! But first, disclaimer!
I do NOT own Code Geass or the Metal Gear franchise. They are owned by Sunrise Entertainment and Konami in that order (as much as I wish it was Kojima who still owned the rights to MG.) This is a non profit story. I am doing this solely to write a story I enjoy, one other may read and enjoy as well, and to further my experience as a writer. If anyone has issue with it, I shall simply direct you to the Frenchmen of Monty Python and shall let them taunt you until you no longer have any issue with it.
That being said, onto the story!
EDIT: I was informed that I forgot to add the line breaks by Roboman. Completely slipped my mind when I uploaded this that FanFiction doesn't transfer line breaks made in Word. No clue why, but I forgot to check and put them in. Thanks Roboman for pointing it out!
"Anyone there?" – Normal speaking
"What is that?" – Character thoughts
"Intruder Alert!" – Speaker/Computer text
"Command, this is Alpha-1." – Radio/Communications
"Die!" – Geass command
"This world is one of sadness… Battle brings death. Death brings sorrow. The living…may not hear them. Their voices may fall upon deaf ears. But, make no mistake. The dead are not silent."
– The Sorrow
Code Geass: Dreams of the Lost
Chapter 1: And So It Begins…
It was a quiet night in the Britannian settlement. The hustle and bustle of the day had long gone, being replaced by the quiet hum of lights and the hushed activity of the few places open this late. Not a sound could be heard, the silence resting over the settlement as a calm cloud in the air.
A perfect night for those who wish to remain unseen to conduct their business.
At the Royal Society Hospital, one close to the heart of the settlement and funded by the Viceroy himself, all seemed to be normal. Nurses walked around to attend to their patients, with the occasional member of the military patrolling the halls, believed to be there due to the status of each patient in the courts. Nothing out of the ordinary in this night.
For many of the guards, it was another boring patrol. No activity to be worried about, no issues at all. The only annoyance they had was their requirement to report in to the member of the Viceroy's personal staff. They didn't know why they had to report to him instead of their usual manager, but they knew it was probably for security reasons. The only thing they knew was that the man could be unbearable.
It was in one such report that a guard on the tenth floor paused for a moment in delivering it. The man on the other side of the radio asked in an agitated tone, "Is something wrong, 10-2?"
"One second, Control. Investigating possible disturbance, over." The guard attached his radio to his side belt, the responding "Roger" briefly registering in the back oh his mind. He tightened his grip on his pistol, searching out the area.
After a few moments of investigating, and seeing no signs of disturbance, the guard grabbed the radio again and called in. "Control, this is unit 10-2. No disturbance in designated sector. Resuming standard patrol, over."
The radio then came to life, the man on the other side responding, "Roger that 10-2. Will await your next scheduled check-in. Over and out."
Hearing that, the guard turned around and began to walk down the his regular patrol route, preparing himself for another uninteresting patrol.
If the man had searched a little bit harder, however, he may have been able to see the small amount of dust floating down from the air duct. Perhaps if he had seen it, he would have stopped for a moment to look above him. Perhaps, if he had done this, he would have noticed the thin cord held to the vent cover by some unseen force.
A few moments after the guard had turned the corner, the vent cover was slowly lifted from its spot in the ceiling. A figure in a black skin tight outfit dropped from the ceiling, the vent cover dropping back into place without making a sound. The figure immediately hugged the wall, the HUD in the mask on the figure's face outlining directions to the objective.
If one were to see her, they would describe her as deadly and skilled based by her posture alone. With a lithe but muscular frame, one could see she was well trained, as she immediately made moves to make sure she wasn't seen.
Immediately beginning to head down the route highlighted, she moved gracefully down the hall. After a few moments, she arrived at her objective. A nondescript door with the usual sign warning off unauthorized personnel. She had to scoff slightly to herself, knowing there wasn't any worry of being caught. This just felt too easy. Granted, this entire floor was sealed off by the Viceroy for "personal use and use of his staff" for the last few years, but certainly there had to be more security than this?
As she ran through her mental list for any possible threats she may encounter entering the room, she placed a small device on the keypad guarding the door. Four lights turned on and started flashing rapidly. After a few moments the lights all went green, signifying the door had been unlocked. She opened the door, and prepared to dart in as fast as possible.
As soon as she saw there were no threats, she quickly got inside the room and shut the door behind her. The sensor equipment on her fed data on the room directly to her HUD and, when she saw the room was devoid of any major security systems, she carefully moved in.
She had to mentally scoff at this. This was the level of security? Around a project funded and sanctioned by the Viceroy? It was pathetic. At least the guard in the hallway was actually capable of his job. The rest of the floors she had to crawl through to get here didn't have anyone competent! And where was the security devices? Other than the cameras which she had placed in a feedback loop, there weren't any others! Did he truly believe that his restriction order would be enough for anyone serious about digging up his secrets? Either the Viceroy was either too arrogant for his own good or was a complete and utter moron!
It wasn't until she found the room designated 'Data Servers' did she relax, even if it was only slightly. The most difficult part of her infiltration was over. Now came the waiting period. She opened the door only a crack, peering in to see if she could locate any hostiles. When she couldn't find any, and her HUD didn't display any contacts, she entered the room proper. As soon as she was sure the door had shut behind her, she immediately got to work.
She got to the computer terminal and, after inserting a small device from her pocket into one of the USB ports, typed in a few commands. The device gave out a beep, and she watched as it did its magic, rapidly searching, compiling, and copying everything it could find on the system's mainframe.
As the device did its work, the infiltrator silently moved to one of the doors nearby. She took out a small ball, throwing it into the next room while connecting it to her HUD. After a few moments, the camera feed sprung to life. An pompous looking man was in the room, talking to one of the female researchers. She frowned slightly at this. She, nor the Intelligence unit, had any word about anyone visiting the facility. Either someone dropped the ball on this one, or this man had decided to make a surprise visit.
She returned to the computer as the feed continued to establish itself. She would make sure the files were downloaded while the drone would get her the images she needed. Once the audio kicked in, she would begin recording the conversation.
Her HUD told her the download was at twenty percent when the audio kicked in, the drone having completed its pre-programmed task of getting pictures of the room and what occupied it. The capsules in the middle of the room was the most important, as it was the target she needed to identify. The surrounding items weren't as important, but may prove useful depending on what was in the capsule.
The first voice she head was a woman's voice, most likely the researcher, "-but unfortunately, there has still been no progress."
The other man sighed slightly, and said, "I would love to say I was expecting something more, but I'm not sure if we'll be able to say that anytime soon."
The infiltrator's eyes widened slightly. She recognized the man's voice. It was General Bartley, one of, if not the highest, confidant of the Viceroy. If he was here in person, and outside of his regular inspections, then something big was going on.
Bartley continued after a moment, "But it doesn't matter. I came to speak to you about a matter of vital importance."
The drone had gotten itself into a good location to view the pair, so the infiltrator was able to see the nervous nod the researcher gave the General.
"Some of the royal guard have noticed increasing interest by the members of Prince Clovis' court about why he has this level sealed off. While most are content with thinking his highness is conducting medical experiments for the people which he doesn't wish for anyone else to steal, some are starting to dig a bit too deep."
The drone captured the paling of the female researcher's face at what the General was saying.
He continued, most likely not caring about the reaction his words had caused, "As such, we're going to transfer the project to one of our secondary facilities for the time being. We'll have some of you stay here to maintain the illusion of classified work, and if anyone does dig deep enough to ask questions about this place, it'll only look like the more complacent members think it is: classified medical research."
The download was at seventy five percent when she saw Bartley hand over a stack of papers to the researcher. She began to skim it through as Bartley continued, "That file contains all the information your people need to maintain the façade. I want your people to prepare the subjects and their containment device to be transferred to the secondary site within the next seventy two hours. Understood?"
The researcher nodded at the question, and the infiltrator looked at the computer. Ninety percent.
"Good." Bartley said, "Make sure you continue your reports as normal until then. We don't want anyone becoming more suspicious than they already are. We'll make sure the truck will be waiting in the loading bay for you."
The researcher nodded once more, and Bartley turned around, walking towards the room she was in. She glanced at the progress bar. Ninety nine percent.
The door opened as General Bartley walked through. He took a quick glance at the computer and, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, walked out of the room.
Up in the upper corner of the room, the infiltrator breathed a sigh of relief. The display on her HUD confirmed the completion of the download. She'd managed to return the computer to it's normal state and hide before the General walked through.
Now it was time to get out. The easy part of the job. As she began her slow job of exfiltrating, her mind was already processing much of the information she had heard.
The original plan was to infiltrate, get the data, get in contact with the Intelligence unit and arrange a transfer for her to return to base to conduct a debrief. Unfortunately, this transfer made it more complicated. Clovis was likely to have his royal guard monitor the area for anything out of the ordinary. While she knew their comms were secure, she couldn't risk communicating with Intel directly. Even the smallest fear of someone making a move or knowing about this could make Clovis do something unpredictable. So, as confident as she was, she couldn't risk it.
This meant she had to organize a dead drop. Something she hated as she could never be sure exactly when Intel would get the message, as it would have to be transferred through the network of agents before it would be directly transmitted to them.
At least doing it would ensure nobody would panic in the royal guard. It would still likely give them at least forty eight hours to assess the situation if the network was on the ball.
Regardless of what would be done, one thing she knew for certain: Code R was definitely turning out to be something big. Much bigger than they thought it was.
The oil platform was practically radiating a feeling of controlled chaos. The guards, on duty and alert, were constantly scanning, conducting checks at irregular moments while staying in contact with their fellow guards to coordinate these sweeps. One look at them, and anyone could tell they were professionals at their job by body language alone.
As one pair of guards finished their sweep of the outer areas of the platform and moved onto the next, a figure shrouded in darkness observed them. He'd made sure he timed the guards sweeps before and he knew the exact window of opportunity to sneak by them without being seen. In fifty seconds, he'd have that opening.
At thirty seconds, the guards were close. One wrong noise on his part would mean he would be caught. The guards swept over the area, checking everywhere they could see. Luckily for him, the guards neglected to look down at the grating at their feet. If they had, then perhaps they would have noticed him hanging on to the gaps in between the grating. It was a major pain in his arms, but he reasoned this was the last way they expected an infiltrator. He also knew he could handle the strain, so that was a plus.
At fifteen seconds, the guards began to move away. As they began to do so, the man slowly moved his way to the edge of the platform and began to climb the railing. It was nearly time.
He climbed over the railing, making sure to make no sounds as he did so. Five seconds left before the opening, and the guards were nearly beginning their next zone sweep. He'd only have between five and ten seconds before the next guard pair came around the corner, so he'd have to move quick.
When his mental timer hit zero, he quickly began moving towards the inner segment of the platform. A quick glance to his left showed the guards had rounded the corner. Once he got to the building segment in the inner area, he immediately used a nearby pipe to begin climbing. He already knew the pipe could support his weight, and so he simply climbed until he could reach the walkway on top of the building.
Once he clambered up, he took a brief look back. The next pair of guards seemingly rounded the corner right after he got onto the walkway. Perfect. He moved over the walkway bridging the two sections of the buildings, keeping his steps as quiet as possible. This was one of the few good openings, and he knew a guard would come over the walkway within the next ten seconds. He had to make his move quickly.
He came up to a staircase to his right and, knowing the guards had just finished that area, moved up it. He hung a right and kept moving forwards to cross another walkway, the second last one he needed to cross before heading up the central tower. Avoiding another guard on a clockwise rotation of the platform, he came up to the next walkway. Once he got to the edge of the it, he went prone, knowing there was a guard right below him that would hear his footsteps if he attempted to walk over the grating.
After a few moments of crawling, he got to the other side of the walkway. As soon as he did, he hid behind the ventilation unit on top of the building. A guard was about to pass by any second now…
There. A guard in the central tower passed by the far end of the connecting walkway. The infiltrator began to move, knowing the guard was about to continue her patrol. When the guard moved away to the optimal point in his mind, the infiltrator had crawled halfway across the walkway. As soon as he got across, he checked the area. Now came the hard part. The space was much more confined, and he needed to make sure his timing was perfect.
He began to follow the trail of the guard, making sure he was keeping pace with her yet moving silently. After a few moments, she passed a set of stairs and kept moving. Once she was a few feet away, he turned and quickly moved up the stairs. His timing was good so far, as the guard on the next floor had just passed. He repeated the same movement for the next three floors. Once he reached the top, he had to deal with the last level.
He had to get into the outer hatch for the command room in order to complete his objective. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of hiding space and there were three guards patrolling in a tight area, making this the most difficult part. He'd have no other choice but to take down at least one guard to make an opening.
As soon as the next guard passed by the stairs, he snuck up behind him and wrapped his arms around his neck in a chokehold. He began applying pressure immediately, moving around the tower to make his way to the hatch. As long as he kept moving, he could keep the pace and the guards wouldn't even know about it before he got in.
He expected the guard to try to fight him, to try and get out of the hold or at least try to stun him. What he didn't expect was for the guard to grab and throw his radio to the ground. The resounding clanging noise sounded like a blaring alarm in his ears. Stealth was now out the window. He had to eliminate the guards and get in.
He twisted the man's head and felt him go limp. He dropped him and began to move to the other side of the tower. A guard rounded the corner with his weapon raised. The infiltrator immediately palmed the weapon to the side with his right hand, followed up with a quick jab at the head. Disoriented, the guard was then unable to avoid being grabbed and flipped over the infiltrator's back. A quick, hard hit to the head and the guard was down.
He was about to head to the hatch, able to be seen in the corner of his vision when he heard the sound of feet. Turning around, he kicked his foot out to throw his attacker off, then followed it up with a grab of her arm. The grab allowed him to quickly turn her around, putting her in the perfect position fo a strike to the head and a slam against the wall. The third guard was down. Now it was time to get to the hatch.
He got to it within a few seconds. As the door began to cycle open at the command he inputted to the access terminal, the infiltrator couldn't help but smirk. The mission was almost complete. It was an exhilarating mission, but nothing he couldn't handle. The door began to open, and the infiltrator prepared to move in—
Only for the door to rapidly change speed and slam into him without expecting it. Slightly stunned, the infiltrator looked ahead, only to see the butt of a pistol hit him in the head. Now dazed, the infiltrator was able to block of few of the incoming attacks by the new individual but was unable to keep up with her speed in his dazed state. Eventually, he was knocked onto his back and, before he could react, the guard trained her gun on him and fired.
Unfortunately for her, even in his dazed state he was still able to dodge the shot. He kicked at her legs but missed as the guard anticipated the move, stepping out of range before she could be knocked off balance. At the same time, the guard trained her weapon on him again and fired once more. This time, he couldn't doge due to his current momentum and the bullets hit his chest, making him feel the pain. The guard walked close enough for him to see her face, trained her pistol on his head, and he couldn't do anything to stop her.
"Bang. You're dead."
At the guards declaration, the infiltrator sighed. It had been going so well! He was literally a foot or two from success, and then this happened. A voice came on the guards radio saying, "All units, this is command. Stand down. Exercise complete. Repeat, exercise complete. Proceed to north of platform for debrief. Over."
A chorus of confirmations came over the radio, the guards own confirmation included. After she responded, she offered a hand to the infiltrator which he took without issue. He hissed slightly at the sore feeling his chest was giving him.
The guard shook her head slightly at the sound he made and said, "Quit being a baby, Oscar. It's not that bad."
Oscar shook his head at her as he recognized her voice. "You try being hit with that many rounds, Jane. I know I'm going to be feeling it in the morning."
Jane just laughed as they started to walk down the stairs. "Well, look at the bright side. At least he won't be yelling at you much. You did good."
"I hope so." Oscar replied. After a few moments, his curiosity got the better of him. "Why were you hiding in there again?"
"Well," she answered as he could practically hear the smirk in her voice, "I was patrolling the floor below you when I heard a thud come from above. As soon as it happened, I called in the disturbance and headed up. I assumed it was you up there and, after seeing the tossed radio, I decided to hide in the door. Since you'd be busy with the other guards, I assumed you wouldn't notice me."
Oscar nodded at this, silently scolding himself. He shouldn't have let his guard down like that. As they walked down, he could see the three soldiers he had taken down. They were all laughing with each other, and Oscar couldn't help but smile. Sure, he may have been a bit hard when they tried to 'eliminate' him, but he knew they wouldn't be mad at him. After a few minutes, they arrived at the northern end of the platform. They moved to the front, knowing they'd be the most scrutinized first, and fell in line. After a few moments of waiting, the group of soldiers quieted down from their conversations. As soon as they did, Oscar and Jane could hear footsteps approaching them.
As a man came around, all the soldiers present saluted. The man saluted back, and each soldier came to rest. Oscar and everyone else present recognized him immediately. Standing just under six feet tall, the blond man was wearing his usual beige coat and beret. Underneath was a plain black shirt and combat pants. A yellow scarf was around his neck, and no one could miss the sunglasses he wore. Even though it was dark, with only the floodlights to illuminate the area, he still wore them. Standing before them, Kazuhira Miller began to speak.
"First of all, I want to congratulate you all for a well preformed exercise. Our infiltrator," Miller said, directing a nod at Oscar, "did an excellent job in his infiltration route, and each of the guards preformed exceptionally well. I believe I'm correct in saying that it was difficult for you, lieutenant?"
Oscar nodded at what Miller said, replying, "Yes sir!"
Miller returned the nod. He continued, "That alone shows each and every one of you did an exceptional job tonight. Knowing that, however, means you all know there's still room for improvement. Nobody's able to be perfect, so don't think any of you are getting off without any form of criticism tonight."
A sea of nods responded to what Miller said. Knowing they'd always be criticized in order to become better had been one of the first things he had drilled into them when they first joined. It was what he said next, however, which surprised them.
"Normally, I'd be the one to criticize your techniques. Due to circumstances, I thought a little change would be more beneficial. We have a special guest here who'll be the one to do so." At this, Miller beckoned to someone around the corner from where they were standing. After a moment, the sound of footsteps could be heard across the grating. Oscar's eyes opened wide at the sound, for it wasn't the sound of the combat boots he was familiar with. No, the footsteps had a distinct sound. The sound only made by cowboy boots.
As the man rounded the corner, Oscar took in his features as it was rare for the man to be seen in person. Standing slightly taller than Miller, the blonde turning silver haired man wore the duster he was usually famed for wearing. Underneath it, he could be seen wearing a regular brown shirt and a red scarf. A belt with ammunition could be seen running underneath it. Two holsters could be seen on his sides, attached to the belt of dark brown pants with a third one no doubt at his back. None of the soldiers could mistake who he was. He was Revolver Ocelot, one of the highest, and most important, members of the Militares Sans Frontiers.
Each and every soldier snapped another salute at him. Ocelot chuckled a bit, then yelled out, "At ease!" At that, they returned to their rest position. Ocelot walked to Miller and turned to face the soldiers.
After a few moments of observing them, no doubt also noticing the slightly nervous atmosphere, Ocelot said, "First thing you'll learn about me tonight: I'm not here to drive you into the dirt and make you question your choices in joining the MSF. Be respectful and willing to take my advice and criticism, and you'll be doing just fine. After all, I don't doubt Miller's torture in the form of basic training already made you question your decisions."
A brief chuckle escaped all the soldiers present. Miller seemed to glare at Ocelot, though the smile on his face showed he wasn't serious. Once the chuckles had subsided, Ocelot continued, "Alright, first things first. Lieutenant Knight, you're up first."
Oscar nodded in response, mentally preparing himself for whatever criticism he might receive. While he could make a guess about what Miller would say, he had no clue what someone of Ocelot's calibre might have noticed.
Ocelot began, "I'm going to start off by saying you did a good job. Infiltration was tight and well conducted. Remaining unseen with the level of security we put on isn't easy, and you managed to execute the infiltration up to the top floor of the tower without a hitch. Mind sharing with the others how you did it?"
Oscar nodded and said, "Yes sir. I began the infiltration at the side platforms attached to the main platform. I then observed the guards and took note of the amount of time it took before the next set of guards would come through with their sweep. Seeing how thorough they were, I decided to find the best spot to get to the second floor quickly and hid by climbing over the railing and hanging under the grating. I then used whatever features of the building I could to get up quickly. That pattern continued all the way up until I hit the top of the tower."
Ocelot nodded and said, "Thank you lieutenant." Directing his attention to the entire group, Ocelot continued, "All of you should take note of the level of patience Lieutenant Knight showed. Timing is everything in infiltrating, important enough that even a second's miscalculation can botch the entire operation. Remember that, and remember it well."
Returning his attention to Oscar, Ocelot said, "Interesting thing you did with the grating. I'm assuming you were sure you could handle the strain on your arms?" At Oscar's nod, he continued, "Good thinking. There weren't many ways to enter in this exercise. While you took a more unique approach, it worked out beyond what I was expecting."
Oscar nodded at the remark. He couldn't help the small feeling of pride swelling up inside him. To be told something like that from someone of Ocelot's calibre? Whatever criticism he gained tonight wasn't ever going to be able to put a damper on on his mood now.
Ocelot continued, "Good job also in sticking to the shadows like you did. Even I had some trouble picking out where you were at times. Now, as much as you probably don't want me too, I'm going to talk about criticism."
Seeing Oscar's nod, Ocelot said, "While your infiltration was good, your CQC techniques needs work. Now I'm not saying your bad at it, because you're not. You've shown skill in performing the moves. The problem was how once proper combat started, you didn't take advantage of some easier and quicker openings. The jab to the head and following flip could have easily been replaced with a slam into the wall. The second guard you were in combat with could have also easily been slammed into the wall, which would have let you finish much sooner."
A look of mirth came over Ocelot's face with what he said next. "It also allowed the next criticism. I bet you already know what it is?"
At Oscar's slight cringe, Ocelot said, "Good. Let this be a lesson to all of you. Eliminating the enemy as fast as possible is important for a multitude of reasons, one of the most being able to return to hiding and proceeding normally with the operation. But, using tonight's exercise as an example, it would also allow you to see what the last guard did. A few seconds sooner, and it would have been easy to spot her hiding in the hatch. As a result, failure to take advantage of quicker options led to failing the mission, along with a false sense of security in which you left your guard down. Things like this could happen at any time. What happened to you just proves my point."
Oscar nodded as Ocelot continued, "Nonetheless, I still believe your infiltration was well executed. Now, as for you guards," Ocelot turned slightly so every soldier could see he was addressing them, "you did a mighty fine job of guarding the place. Sweeps were quick and efficient, callouts were also quick and clear. You do need to work on cutting down time between patrol groups, but I believe most of the errors were highlighted when speaking to Lieutenant Knight. Most notably was the need to check places in a more creative fashion, trying to think of unlikely ways an infiltrator can come in."
Ocelot's eyes scrunched up a bit as he appeared to be searching the crowed of soldiers. "Who was the one who threw the radio?" When one of the soldiers raised his hand, Ocelot clapped his hands once. "Good thinking. Most soldiers would instinctively fight against their attacker. Throwing the radio would have had negative consequences for yourself, fatal as shown in the exercise, but it led to successfully taking down the infiltrator."
Ocelot then turned to Jane. "As for you, good work as well. Radioing in and trying to catch the infiltrator by surprise was a good move. Also good in keeping him in a close enough range where a gun is difficult to miss, yet far enough you could get a clean shot near the end. However, it would have been better if you had added in an extra hit to the head to make sure he was dazed enough to get an immediate shot in after you stunned him with the door. It would have been even better if you used the door to get close enough to fire a shot or two at him which would have both the potential to take him out or cause other guards to raise the alarm."
Jane nodded at this, no doubt also feeling the same pride Oscar was in being complimented by Ocelot, even if they had to cringe at the obvious mistakes they committed.
"All in all however, I believe this exercise was done extremely well. You should all be proud of yourself. You've all shown me you've earned your place here in the MSF." Ocelot said, a large smile on his face. "I look forwards to seeing you around the base, and I look forwards to the chance to see you at work in the field."
At that, Ocelot looked at Miller. When he shook his head, Ocelot turned back to them. "Well, if Miller has nothing else to say, then their's only one thing left on my part." Yelling the next phrase out, Ocelot said, "Company! Dismissed!"
At that declaration, the guards began to leave the north area, each of them satisfied with their performance this night. Oscar and Jane filed out, determined to change and get some rest as their duty shift was going to come on in the morning, and this exercise was tiring on each of them. Tomorrow would be a more regular day of operations and practice. Everything was fine this night in Mother Base.
Unfortunately, that peace was about to be disrupted soon. The events of the next forty eight hours would become the catalyst for the largest change the world had seen. No one could have seen it coming, and no one could have ever known the MSF would be one of the centre forces in this change.
As Ocelot watched the soldiers return to their regular duties, he couldn't help but smile. This group had surprised him, he was more than ready to admit. They showed a lot of promise, and a determination to succeed he normally only saw in veterans of combat. If handled the right way in their training, they would become excellent members of the MSF.
"Enjoyed the show, did you?" Miller asked with a smile.
"Why, yes I did. Good job on their training, Miller. They show a lot of promise." Ocelot replied.
Miller shook his head at this. "I just gave them the direction and the tools, Ocelot. It was their own motivation which let them rise to the challenge and overcome it."
Ocelot couldn't help but chuckle at this. Knowing Miller was throwing him a questioning glance, Ocelot said, "I've said it before and I'll say it again: you don't give yourself enough credit. There's a lot of people who belong to the MSF who wouldn't have stayed with us if it wasn't for you and your training."
With a small smirk, Miller replied, "Even if it's 'torture' to them?"
Ocelot let a bark of laughter escape him. "Yes, even if it's 'torture' to them."
The pair was about to continue talking when a soldier came up to them. Ocelot took notice of the unit insignia just below their MSF patch. Intelligence Unit. This piqued Ocelot's curiosity. It wasn't common to see a soldier come to get someone on Mother Base. Normally they'd wait to give any information in the daily report, or would raise one of them on their radio's if they felt it was important. If someone had sent someone in person, it had to be something important.
The soldier saluted them, saying, "Sirs."
Both men saluted him back. Miller must have come to the same conclusion as him, and knew something was going on if his body language was any indication.
The soldier continued, "I was told to find you and bring you to the Intel platform. You're needed there immediately."
Ocelot nodded at this, beckoning to the soldier to lead the way. If Intel wanted them in person, he wasn't going to make them wait. They walked over to the nearby bridge, a vehicle waiting for them to transit over the bridge. The soldier got into the driver's seat, with Miller sitting in the passenger seat and Ocelot sitting in the back.
As they traversed the connecting bridge, Ocelot couldn't help the feeling of pride that swelled up in him as he looked around, seeing the platforms and their level of activity. It had taken them years to get to this point, along with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. There were so many times where it seemed as if they wouldn't be able to go further, so many times where it seemed as if the world was ready to burn everything they made into the ground.
Friends had been gained and lost, experiences had scarred them, but they had persevered through everything the world threw at them. Soon, they would be ready. Soon, they would be able to begin the work they had been preparing for all these years in earnest. Soon, the world shall be forced to confront those they turned a blind eye to. Those they used, sacrificed, then threw away when they were no longer useful to them.
A scowl came over Ocelot's face at the thought. Used indeed. He and the Boss had experienced it firsthand, before they started their work. The day was forever ingrained in his mind, as it was the day—
Miller's hand on Ocelot's shoulder jostled him out of his thoughts. A look of concern was on his face, though Ocelot politely waved him off. Miller recognized his gesture, and wisely decided to leave it be. They already had this conversation before, and Miller completely understood. Ocelot was glad Miller had maintained some of his Japanese culture, never letting it die when the old Japan did. The respect and understanding it carried made him the one person who understood everyone in the MSF, a motion that gained much respect. Even he was glad, as it gave him someone to vent on at times, knowing Miller would be as impartial as possible.
Ocelot hopped off the back of the Jeep and, after beckoning to the soldier to lead the way, began to follow behind him. The soldier led him to the main structure and they entered, the hum of machinery already able to be heard from the outside. Taking a right down a short hall, they descended into the bowels of the platform. Three separate security checkpoints confirmed their identities, and eventually, they entered the hub of the Intelligence Unit. When they entered, Ocelot took a moment to let his eyes adjust. The amount of computer screens, tactical representations and light tables created a contrast with the subdued lighting. It almost reminded Ocelot of a submarine with the way it appeared.
A pair of men who had been conversing stopped as the group entered the room. The older one of the two came up to them and saluted, saying, "Sirs. Unit Commander Pelt, at your service."
The two men saluted back. Miller was the first to speak. "So, what seems to be the problem? It's not common to ask us to come down here in person."
Commander Pelt responded, "Well sir, I think it's best if you saw for yourself."
The man lead them to the other officer he had been talking to. Said man handed a sheet to him, which he then handed off to Miller and Ocelot. The message read:
FLASH PRIORITY
WILLOW CLEARANCE
TO: IU-PRIME
FROM: SILENT HORNET
ATTN: FWD TO CENTCOM UPON RECEIVING
AT 0400 HRS ON 08/07/2017, OPERATION
"CLOSET SKELETON" DECLARED SUCCESS.
SILENT HORNET OBTAINED TARGET DATA,
GATHERED FLASH PRIORITY INTEL. ON
08/10/2017, PRIORITY PACKAGES IN TRANSFER
TO SECONDARY SITE. TIME CURRENTLY
UNKNOWN. LOCATION OF SECONDARY
SITE UNKNOWN. RG OF VICEROY TO
MONITOR AREA, GEN. BARTLEY IN
OP CONTROL. UNABLE TO DEBRIEF.
DATA SHOWS CODE R PROJECT IS NOT,
REPEAT, NOT CHEMICAL WPNS AS PRESUMED.
RELEVANT DATA TRANSFERRED VIA DEAD DROP
NETWORK. CHEMICAL WPNS USED AS
COVER STORY, FURTHER BEING COVERED
AS MEDICAL EXPERIMENTS. SILENT HORNET
MAINTAINING OBSERVATION, WILL STAND BY
FOR FURTHER ORDERS.
Ocelot's eyes narrowed after reading this. Before he could say anything, Miller voiced his thoughts for him, "This is bad. Real bad. Chemical weapons being used as a cover for this thing? Whatever he's working on, it has to be both dangerous and important to him if he's willing to use highly illegal weapons development as its cover."
Ocelot nodded along, voicing his own thoughts, "Somebody's managed to scare our favourite Viceroy. Probably digging too deep for his liking. It's the only reason he'd move it from practically being right next door to him to who knows where. Commander, have you done anything in response to the message yet?"
Pelt nodded, saying, "I've already got three teams ready to deploy within five minutes of a call. If we need them for diversionary ops, we'll be ready. I've also sent out an order to all units in the field who are currently operating outside of the Tokyo settlement to move in and begin observations. They're also on standby for combat if necessary. One unit will get in contact with Silent Hornet to confirm the message was received and make sure she's also combat ready. I've also given the order to have a bird waiting for you to get you to Tokyo on the express route."
"Good." Miller responded. He then turned to Ocelot. "I'll stay here to help out, maintain command on this end and inform you of the situation."
Ocelot, knowing what Miller was getting at, nodded and said, "I'll head off to Tokyo to assume command for now. On the way, I'll get on the horn. The Boss needs to know about this."
Miller and Pelt both nodded, turning to talk to each other about the current situation. Ocelot turned and left the room, his destination being the helicopter awaiting him. This changed quite a bit. They had gained intel on this 'Code R' a week ago, and had sent Silent Hornet to investigate and confirm the intel. After a debrief, they were going to send an infiltrator team to attempt to secure it and move it to one of the safe houses currently established in Area 11. Clovis wouldn't know better until it was too late.
Now, they had to move everything up. They'd have to go in without nearly as much intel as would be preferred, they'd have to take control of the package under heavy guard, and worst of all, they had to do it without revealing who they were. This had already gone wrong, and they had yet to even start.
Well, he knew one thing was certain. Boss wasn't going to be happy hearing this.
It was a normal day in Ashford Academy. Classes had just finished for the day, students were filing out, and everyone was going about to make plans for the evening.
For Lelouch Lamperouge, it was the type of day he was grateful for. No Student Council meeting to deal with "balancing the budget" yet again, none of the students trying to get his attention in obnoxious ways, nothing at all. It was a perfect day so far, one he hoped would be able to continue in such a fashion.
He was currently in his and Nunnally's dorm room, cooking a meal for the two of them. Nunnally wasn't back yet, but he knew she would be soon. Milly was going to drop her off, as Sayoko was currently busy doing some things he had asked her to.
As Lelouch added a small amount of spice to his dish, he heard the door to the room open and two people talking to each other. Lelouch smiled at this, as he knew Milly and Nunnally were talking to each other. From the sounds of it, they were having fun with whatever it was they were talking about.
He finished up the meal and took out the three plates. He knew Milly was going to say she didn't want to impose, but it was the least he could do for helping Nunnally while Sayoko was busy. When he walked out of the kitchen, he could see Nunnally talking animately with Milly. He walked over, placing the plates in front of the pair.
Milly stopped for a moment, turning to face Lelouch. Before she could say anything, though, he said, "Milly, don't even try to turn this down. It's the least I can do as thanks for helping out with Nunnally."
Whatever protest she had died on her lips as she simply nodded, a warm smile her face. "Well then, if you're so adamant about it, I couldn't turn it down Lulu."
Nunnally clapped her hands together. "Oh! This smells good! What did you make today big brother?"
Lelouch smiled at Nunnally. He couldn't help it. She could be so adorable when she was happy. "Spaghetti and meatballs, with a little bit of added spice to give it a little bit of a kick."
The two both thanked him and dug in. He sat down slightly off to the side, deciding to let them talk. It was good for Nunnally to talk after all, and who was he to interrupt them? The two talked about school and some festivals Milly planned to throw, which he shivered at the thought of, and was about to ask the two something when his phone went off.
He pulled out his phone and frowned when he saw the ID. This wasn't right. He wasn't supposed to call for another day or two. Milly and Nunnally, having been drawn out of their conversation by the phone ringing, looked at him curiously.
"What's the matter Lelouch? You don't look too happy." Milly asked, concern in her voice.
"Oh, don't worry. Just wasn't expecting to get a call for a day or two more." Lelouch said.
"Weren't expecting it? Is this something I should know about?" Milly asked, a gleam of mischief in her eyes.
Lelouch sighed at her response. Of course she'd want to get some gossip on him. It was only natural for her, as natural as breathing. "No, not really. Just a friend from seven years ago that I've kept in contact with."
Milly's face paled slightly, but before she could say anything, Lelouch smiled and said, "Don't worry Milly. My friend is in a similar circumstance to us. People think he's dead after he hid from the public eye, and he doesn't want anything to do with the Empire if he can avoid it."
"Alright, whatever you say Lelouch." He could hear the uncertainty in her voice, but he was glad she was willing to let it lie.
"I'll head to the bedroom so I don't disturb your discussion." Lelouch said, moving to do so. On his way to the room, he put his hand on Nunnally's, pressing slightly on her thumb and tapping it three times. At the smile she gave him and the nod, he knew she got the message. Once he closed the door behind him, he waited for a moment. When he heard the two resuming their conversation, he brought the phone up to his head and pressed talk.
"Go ahead." Lelouch said. If he was calling, he knew it couldn't be a report or a social call.
"Boss, this is Ocelot. Are you alone right now?" he asked. Lelouch could hear the dull sound of the wind in the background. He frowned at the observation. Ocelot was supposed to be at Mother Base, and he knew for a fact there wasn't supposed to be any weather conditions going on right now. So where was he?
"Yes, I'm alone. Nunnally and Milly are in the other room, but they're too busy to notice any conversations we have. Ocelot, what's going on?"
"Good." Ocelot responded. "We have a problem, Boss. Silent Hornet just reported in via the Dead Drop network."
Lelouch mentally braced himself for whatever news Ocelot was about to give. If Silent Hornet was reporting via the network, then there was definitely something wrong.
Ocelot continued, "She confirmed most of our intel on Clovis' pet project. Only two problems. The first is that Code R isn't actually chemical weapons."
You could have heard a pin drop with how silent Lelouch became. After a moment, he hissed through the phone, "What?!"
"We haven't gotten through the data completely yet, but Miller's told me a few things Intel has found as of an hour ago in the data Silent Hornet sent. Turns out it's some sort of human experimentation project. We haven't gone through the details of the subject yet, but apparently this person has some form of anomaly. The eggheads assigned to the project haven't figured out exactly what it is, but Clovis seems to be convinced it has to do with some form of immortality. Not only that, but there's reference to another subject being experimented on. Unfortunately, the encryption's a tough one to crack. As such, we don't know anything on this other subject. "
Lelouch scoffed at this remark. Immortality? There was no such thing. And another subject more classified than another in an already absurdly classified project?
Ocelot seemed to have the same idea, as he responded, "I know Boss. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But it doesn't matter if it's true or not. Even if this is wrong—"
"It still has to do with either strengthening Britannia or gaining personal power, especially if he's willing to use something he'd be disinherited over as a better cover." Lelouch cut in. "But why are you informing me of this now? It seems like something which would be discussed at the usual report."
He could hear Ocelot's chuckle at his question. "Well, it unfortunately leads into the second problem. Someone's managed to make Clovis nervous, enough so that he's ordered everything related to Code R to be moved to a secondary facility."
Lelouch sucked in a breath. That was certainly problematic. In fact, it could derail many plans. He already knew they'd have to scrap the retrieval completely and come up with a new plan. Transfer would mean more security, more variables, and most of all, less chances for a successful retrieval. But they had to get a hold of Code R. Whatever it may be, even if he didn't believe it was the secret to immortality, it couldn't be left in the hands of someone as incompetent as Clovis.
If it failed and Britannia began to scrutinize him, it would bring too much attention to Area 11 for the MSF to operate properly. If he succeeded, then who knows what may be unleashed upon the world.
"Where are you right now, and when do they plan the transfer?" Lelouch asked, already running plans through his head.
"Transfer is happening in under forty two hours, though we're unsure of what the exact time will be. As for where I am, I'm currently en route to the Tokyo settlement. Morpheus transported me, landed approximately fifteen minutes ago at site N-03. Intel also went ahead and called in every unit we've got near Tokyo to begin observations and go to combat readiness. They've also put 3 teams on standby should the mission go FUBAR. Miller's working with them and will be relaying everything to us."
"Good. Meet me at the Tokyo site in two hours. We'll discuss the operation rework then, and you can fill me in on anything else needed." Lelouch then paused for a moment. He then continued, "Ocelot, while I know this is earlier than we'd like, I think we may have to accelerate our plans for Operation Dead Dreamer."
He could hear the sound of Ocelot sucking in a breath at his words. After a moment, Ocelot replied, "Are you sure Boss? I mean, I know we're practically ready and I expected to move up some of our operations, but to begin that operation at such an earlier point than we planned…"
"I know," Lelouch sighed, "I know. But Clovis isn't leaving us much choice. If we're lucky, we could take Code R quietly enough that Clovis would be more busy dealing with the repercussions than he'd be with us, especially if some info got 'leaked' to the public. But that's only if we're extremely lucky. If we account for every possible thing which could go wrong, this unfortunately forces our hand a bit. We won't start considering it until after this operation. But if things don't go how we'd like, we're not going to have much other choice. Unless something drastic happens or we get lucky, we have to."
There was a moment of silence on the other end before Ocelot replied, "Alright. I'll let Miller know, get him to standby if we need to. I'll be seeing you soon, Boss."
The line went dead after Ocelot replied. Lelouch, deep in thought, only realized Nunnally and Milly were still talking when he opened the door. Milly turned to face him. "So, how was your chat?"
"It was fine. My friend updated me on some stuff happening on his end." Almost as an afterthought, Lelouch continued, "Oh, and he warned me to be careful. Apparently he's seen Clovis' Royal Guard maintaining a presence in certain areas of the settlement. He told me where to keep an eye out and told me to be careful."
Milly nodded, relaxing slightly at the implication Lelouch trusted his friend enough that he knew about their identities. If he had to find positive features about Milly, it was the implicit trust she had in Lelouch's judge of character. It's the reason why she always had him close by when her mother tried to pair her off with another noble, after all. She showed how she really thought his judgement was spot on, so he didn't have to worry about her questioning him.
"Well, thank you for the meal Lulu. It was amazing! I still think it's too bad you never want to cook for our festivals…" she pouted.
Before he could say anything, Milly turned to Nunnally and said, "And thank you for the great conversation, Nunnally! You've given me some absolutely splendid ideas for future festivals!"
Nunnally smiled and said, "It was no problem Milly. I should be thanking you for the conversation! I hope we can do it again sometime."
"Well, as long as Lulu doesn't have an issue, we can make sure to do it whenever we can!" Milly replied, her face beaming.
Lelouch smiled at that. It was good Nunnally was happy. Milly already knew he didn't have an issue with her spending time with Nunnally, so what she said was more of a formality than anything else. With a small wave goodbye and a verbal goodbye to Nunnally, Milly walked out of the dorm room. Lelouch listened as Milly walked away, her footsteps becoming fainter and fainter until they disappeared altogether.
Lelouch sat down in the chair Milly had just vacated. He was about to ask how their conversation went when Nunnally spoke, "So, who was it?"
Lelouch sighed slightly at the thought. He had hoped he could ignore the problem a bit and simply talk normally to Nunnally, but it seemed like she wanted to get right to it. So he did what he always did when she asked. He talked.
"Ocelot called. Apparently, Hornet found out quite a few things regarding the project she was tasked to investigate. It's apparently a human experimentation project, and Clovis has ordered it to be moved in two days to an unknown location." he said.
Nunnally had a shocked expression on her face. "Why wasn't I informed?"
"I wasn't informed of it until just now either. Apparently, Hornet thought it would be best to deliver the message and the data via the network. She was worried the Royal Guard might get lucky and pick up on her comm signal."
Nunnally relaxed a little bit at hearing this, and Lelouch couldn't blame her. Being the head of the Intelligence Unit for the MSF, she was normally the first to get ahold of this sort of information. She was very possessive of the unit, treating it like a mother would treat her child.
As a moment of silence come over the two, Lelouch saw the calculating expression his sister had on her face. It was seeing this which made him remember how glad he was to have included Nunnally in his plans.
Most people would have found it abhorrent to have a child participate in a military unit of any sort, regardless of the role. He had originally, in fact, planned to keep her out of it so she could have a regular life without even knowing what he was doing. But he had remembered the lessons his mentors had given him, and he changed his mind immediately.
His mentors had always stressed to keep those you cared about close to them. Both of them were considered prodigies in their arts by their mentors, so on that merit alone it wasn't a good idea to keep Nunnally out of it. She was just as skilled and capable as he was, and it would be an insult to her if he kept her out of it. But the other thing was that their mentors had stressed how important it was to have someone they could trust to lean on at any time. Most soldiers would disagree, but the philosophy they followed was the one that had once made their mentors the deadliest force in the world. More deadly than even the Knights of the Round.
But even with all of the points he could think of, all the technical skills and lessons he had been taught, it was one realization he kept coming back to him. She had lost just as much as he had. She had felt the same pain, the same sensations while being powerless to do anything to stop it. They both knew what it felt like to have their lives taken away from them. They both knew how it felt to be dead to the world. But most importantly, they both dreamed the same dream.
They promised not to lie to each other. They promised they would tackle the world together before the assassination. Nunnally was his equal, and his mentors had shown them both where their skills lie. They knew the same tactics, they knew the same methods, even the same thoughts. Two minds taught to work together to strengthen the other, making them better than any foe. Just like them, the mentors which they had looked up to and strived to be like.
But most of all, he wouldn't refuse her because she was the one who came up with the initial idea. Sure, he had helped flesh it out with Ocelot and her, but it was her idea. In another life, perhaps this wouldn't have been the case. If their mentors had not been there, if they hadn't been taught what they had been taught, perhaps Nunnally would have been left to live a normal life while he fought.
But that was not the time he lived in, and he was glad he didn't. After all, Nunnally was the world to him and he was the world to her. Both of them had promised to never let anything come between their bond. It was Nunnally that made him realize the most important thing was to respect the will of others and believe in ones own will.
So, because of Nunnally's idea, the MSF began to form. She was just as instrumental to it's success so far as all the command members were. She was determined to help him, and he would have it no other way.
Nunnally spoke again, bringing Lelouch out of his thoughts. "I'm assuming Ocelot is coming here?"
At Lelouch's nod, she questioned further. "Who's currently in command of the Intelligence Unit?"
Lelouch chuckled at this. Of course she'd be worried about her Unit. "Kaz and a Commander Pelt."
Nunnally visibly relaxed at this. "Good. At least I know they'll follow what I've laid out for them. When are we going to meet Ocelot?"
"In about two hours. We'll talk about everything then. As it is, the entirety of the data hasn't been deciphered yet, so we'll be informed of more when we meet with him."
Nunnally nodded, a smile on her face. "Good. Do you want to get a head start?"
Seeing the smile on her face, Lelouch almost missed the question. This was a perfect example of why he included her, as one of the most important assets to any plans. Helping him and pursuing their shared dream made her happy. And he would never stand in the way of her happiness. He responded, "Of course. Let's get going."
He quickly wrote a note for anyone looking for him, saying he went out in the settlement with Nunnally. After he had finished, he grabbed the handles of Nunnally's wheelchair and began to walk with her out. Soon, they would begin a new plan. He'd fill her in on the exact details of what Ocelot told him when they got to the safe site.
It wasn't until they had exited Ashford Academy did he remember something Ocelot had said years ago. He told Nunnally what he remembered, and they both couldn't help but smile. It was obvious to them it was true. As they headed off to the safe site, they both knew only one outcome was for certain. In two days, it was time for a legend to come back to life.
Well, that's a wrap!
This one has been an interesting one to write. I still find it amazing how it almost feels as if the story writes itself at times, guiding you as much as you are guiding it along in your mind. One moment, you're the one in the lead as you come up with ideas and in the next moment you're the one being guided as the story tells you what to write. It's absolutely fascinating.
So, Nunnally is very different in this story. To me, I've never liked how fragile Lelouch treated Nunnally in the anime. He may have not realized he was, but he did nonetheless. After hearing about Nightmare of Nunnally and reading stories like Code Geass: Lionheart of the Revolution (great story in my opinion by the way, check it out if you get the chance), I thought it would be good to make Nunnally just as important in this story.
Thanks to an idea I had, a plot point which shall become apparent in upcoming chapters has made it not only feasible, but completely reasonable that Nunnally wouldn't put up with the usual crap she had to deal with. Not only that, but said plot point changed Lelouch to see how, even in her crippled state, she's just as good as he is in what they do and is just as determined to make a dream into reality as he is.
Personally, I think it turned out pretty well along with the chapter as a whole. If anyone has any comments about it or some helpful criticism which I could use to make things better, I would love to hear it!
That reminds me: if you enjoyed the story, I would love it if you could like, favourite, and/or review! Reviews in particular, as I love some of the ideas, criticisms and comments given out. It's only something I've really begun to appreciate after writing a few chapters of The Illusive Knight, but the reviewers are just as important to the story making process as the writer is. At least, in my opinion.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this story. Next up is (hopefully) the next chapter of The Illusive Knight. I do want to make getting it out the next priority. I'll try to keep this updated at a decent pace, but it all depends on how much the other story takes up my attention. Thanks for reading, and good day to all of you!
Logging off.
Gammatron942