Co-Written with Demons Anarchy of Pride, the author of many great stories such as Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R-eset, Code Geass: Miraculous Birthday, Code Geass: Lucian of the Paradox, Infinite Stratos: For Answer, Devil Survivor: Destiny Rewind, Code Geass: Suzaku of the Counterattack, RWBY's Reaper, TOKYO GHOUL: Requiem for a Demon, Tokyo Ghoul: Black Dove, Fractured Reality, Those that Defy Fate, Tokyo Ghoul DxD, Other Self Online, and many, many more! I recommend all his stories!
I am truly grateful for his help in making this story possible! You are the best man!
And now…..we give you…The next chapter!
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Chapter 1: The Zero Hour Approaches
The year is 2017 of the Imperial Calendar. It had been seven years since the Holy Empire of Britannia had invaded the country of Japan, taking away its freedom, history, culture, rights, and even its name. Its whole existence, reduced to a mere number: Area 11.
...After the invasion came to an end, everything was like the end of a nightmare, yet also a prelude to despair that would come. The people of the defeated Japan, the newly named Elevens, mourned their losses, and buried the dead. Somewhere near the port in Kyoto, four children stood around, huddled together while a nearby soldier, acting as guard detail for the children, performed a salute in front of a bonfire, where the corpses of his friends slept for eternity. The first child was of the same nationality as the man, having brown curly hair and soft green eyes. Two of the four had similar features, bearing midnight black hair and purple eyes, the girl sitting next to the younger girl and the brown-haired boy, who blushed at seeing her face, while the boy just stood around and watched. He had a dark expression on his face, his hands clenched tightly until a hand came to his shoulder. Surprised, he looked to the side and saw the oldest of the children looking at him with a small, reassuring smile. His hair was slightly darker than theirs, and his eyes were more pronounced than the brown-haired child's, also carrying a yellow ring in them.
The boy said, staring at the older boy for a few seconds before looking ahead at the ruined city. All sorts of emotions rushed through him, causing his body to shake with the strongest of them all... rage. "I swear..." he muttered icily. The older boy and the others looked at him strangely, as his purple eyes were hidden by his bangs. "I swear... Suzaku... Lyoko... Big brother..." When he lifted his head, the older boy's face became serious, the brown-haired boy's crest-fallen, and the girl's eyes filled with sympathy as she heard the words of her twin's vow. "I swear God, so help me... This Britannia..."
"Will be obliterated!"
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Play: Nevereverland
Artist: Nano
[Long ago, inside a distant memory,]
Victor, standing by himself, gazes into the empty night sky.
[There is a voice that says]
A light glows behind him, which makes him turn to see. His eyes widened upon seeing his past memories.
[Do you believe a world of happy endings?]
He sees one scene was where he led his life as Ludger. But it shatters. He turns to his memory of meeting Lara. But it shatters. He turns to the memory of his daughter Elle, as a baby with Lara. But it shatters. He sees himself killing his friends. It shatters.
[Even when the road seems long,]
His memory of sending Elle to the Prime Dimension. It shatters. His memory of being killed by Ludger. It shatters.
[Every breath you take will lead you closer to]
His memory as Victor vi Britannia, the Black Knight of Britannia, shatters. As the fragments clear, Victor looks onward to see his siblings and friends waiting for him. He smiles and runs toward them
[A special place within]
Victor, smiling in response, runs over to them.
[Your Nevereverland]
The joyful scene cracks straight down the middle.
As the music begins to play, the crack grows, and within the untouched areas, shows Victor and Lelouch in their respective outfits, slipping on their masks as shadowy figures appear behind them. The screen finally shatters, and the title appears.
Fractured Existence
[I wake up]
A picture of the vi Britannia family sets ablaze, the flames spreading to the entire area.
[A siren keeps beating at my eardrums]
In the middle of the embers were two figures: Lelouch and Victor.
[I stifle this scream to death]
Their images become replaced by their second identities: Zero and Nemo respectively.
[Without knowing anything]
Standing behind them are the Black Knights, the core members all present while a few shadowed figures were amongst them.
[I hold on to only my heartbeat]
Both Zero and Nemo hold pictures of their true family: Nunnally, Lyoko, Sayoko, and Suzaku, but they were blown out of their hands.
[And fall into the trap of reality]
The scene shifts to Pendragon Imperial Palace. Shadowing it are Charles zi Britannia and four other figures, three male and one female.
[I won't regret]
The scene resumes with Lelouch, Victor, Lyoko, Nunnally, Suzaku, and a white haired boy having a cheerful time together eating dinner.
[I gaze at the piled up, torn apart picture of the future]
In a darkened room, a single ray of light shown down on a lone picture frame, a crack on the glass. A hand picks up the item. The image zooms out to show it to be Victor.
[I hold my breath]
Upon peering into the scene within the frame, Victor gasps in surprise.
[In my head]
A single tear cascades down his cheek.
[The hands of my rusted memories]
It shows Victor in a life already lost. One where he, Lara, Elle, Jude, Milla, Alvin, Leia, Rowen, Elize, Teepo, Gaius, and Muzet all stood together, smiles on their faces. However, the picture soon crumbles to dust.
[Turn]
Victor lets the sand slip through his fingers.
[Round and round]
He stands up, turns, and walks into the light shining behind him. In his shadow trailing behind him, was the outline of his fractured Chromatus form.
[As I close my eyes]
The scene transitions to a battlefield, with the Black Knights clashed with Britannian forces.
[There is no mark left behind, no noise spilling out, no destination]
The Guren Mk II, with Kallen piloting eradicates an opposing Knightmare with the Radiant Wave Surger. The Gekka Pre-porduction type, piloted by a boy with white hair, followed the same actions.
[I know that this is what I want, this is what I need]
Nemo, in his Knightmare, the Kresnik, cuts down two enemy Knightmares with its MVS dual blades before turning to shoot down another with its twin handguns.
[The afterimage that is repeating even now]
Suzaku, in the Lancelot, combats the opposing foes. Its swords clashing with those of the Kresnik's.
[We who have a wounded past]
The scene shifts to a split screen. Both Lamperouge brothers stood back to back, leaning against the wall that divided them. In Lelouch's hands is a Black pocket watch. In Victor's was a cracked Gold pocket watch.
[Are, without being healed]
Both brothers walked away, their shadows trailing behind them. They passed by mirrors, their reflections displaying their respective Revolutionary Personas. Behind those personas were Shadows that possessed some cog-like features.
[Already shutting away]
The two brothers met up once more with their precious siblings, Nunnally and Lyoko.
[Such uselessly revolving, unchanging days]
The four Lamperouge siblings, Suzaku, and a white haired teen were dragged by the Student Council for a group photo. Everyone was in the midst of playful banter, trying to stay still for their picture to be taken.
[So now]
Once everyone settled down, the timer on the camera fell to zero, creating a flash.
[This is what I desired]
The scene zoomed out, showing a picture-perfect memory screenshot of everyone smiling happily. Possessing no fear, no ill-will, just pure joy and peace.
[My Nevereverland]
The final scene shows the masks of Zero and Nemo lying on a desk. Next to Zero's mask is a cracked Black King Chess piece. Next to Nemo's mask is a gold pocket watch.
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In the Britannian Residence- Tokyo Settlement, seven years after the war, a dark gray truck was speeding along the roads, fleeing from its pursuer in the helicopter.
"This is alpha three! Target is traveling from delta twelve toward delta fourteen at a speed of eighty kilometers per hour." The aircraft pilot spoke through his communicator.
"CCB all mobile units. Deploy from 4-5 to 4-2. All units take 288! I want the target in tact!" The transceiver responded.
Inside a mansion within the settlement, flat screen television was on with a news report detailing an explosion incident that occurred.
"Here's video footage of yesterday's terrorist bombings in Osaka." The female announcer spoke. "The secretary reported fifty-nine casualties in this incident. Eight Britannians and fifty-one others."
In front of the screen was a timer used in chess matches. The one on the right counted down to zero before the buzzer went off, the exact moment the television shut off.
Inside the room was a well dressed man wearing light gray pants, a navy blue vest, and burgundy jacket. He had neatly combed brown hair and a split mustache. Opposite of him was an elderly man wearing tan slacks, a dark gray vest, and a white buttoned shirt. Wire framed glasses rested on his nose; his gray hair was balding at the top. Surrounding them were several men in black suits with sunglasses on. The overhead lamp illuminated the chess set between them, the match having been started long ago.
The elderly man gasped in surprise as his timer ran out, sweat dripping down his face.
"You're out of time." The guard next to him spoke. "From here on, you will make your moves every twenty-seconds.
The well dressed man opposite to the elder focused his icy-blue eyes on the task of filing his fingernails with a smug expression on his face. The man blew on his thumbnail, the one he just finished filing, before his face broke into a confident smirk. "Very well, I'm game."
The old man was horrified. He gulped. Anxiety slowly taken over.
However before things could continue, the doors to the room slowly opened, revealing three figures.
"Hmph, did your substitute arrive?" The man with the nail file asked in a mocking tone.
"Haaaa….ha…..Thank heaven I'm saved…..Are things going well in school?" The elderly man sighed in relief as he stood up to greet the newcomers.
"What have we here…..schoolboys?" The other adult smirked in amusement. Their forms were shadowed from the light at their backs, but as the first two approached, their featured became distinguishable. One of them was tall and rather lanky teenager. He possessed a handsome face with midnight black hair and violet eyes. The behind him was a young man around the same age with blue hair that was covered by his white motorcycle helmet. The third one remained back, leaning against the door frame.
"Well look at this….a noble…." The raven haired teen spoke with a false smile.
The man tapped the bejeweled end of his nail file on the table top. "I envy you kids today. You have so much time on your hands….time for regrets. So what's your name boy?" He grinned.
"…Lelouch…Lamperouge….."
"Whoa! Wait a minute! You can't win this one, its impossible, right?!" The motorcyclist exclaimed upon seeing the layout of the chess pieces. Both sides were positioned in a stalemate.
"Rivalz….." Lelouch spoke to his friend without averting his gaze on the table. "…..When do you think we should leave in order to make it to our next class?" Lelouch asked his friend.
"Uh….twenty minutes if we bust our humps."
"Then be sure you drive safely on the way back….. I would like you to step outside and get our ride ready."
"Eh? But we just got here! Plus I want to see!" Rivalz tried to argue.
"Rivalz….!" The man by the doorway spoke, getting the teens attention. While most were unable to see his features due to the shadow, Rivalz immediately recognized the tone, and could tell what would take place. After looking back at his friend, the blue haired teen quietly stepped out.
The adult tapped his file in impatience. "I'll need nine minutes…." Lelouch said as he sat down in the chair that was previously occupied by the old man. "By the way, about yesterday?"
"Understood sir….We'll discuss it later." The balding man nodded.
"Nine minutes….?! You only have twenty second per move!" The noble retorted as the timer beeped.
Lelouch quietly picked up the black king chess piece. "Enough time…."
The noble raised an eyebrow. "You start with the king?...Ahahahahahahaha!" He broke into laughter.
Lelouch just gave an empty smile.
Merely a few minutes later, the noble dropped his ornate nail file. His eyes were as wide as saucers, disbelieving of the fact that he had lost to a school boy in a game of chess.
"Now then, since I won fair and square, you have to pay your end of the bargain." The Violet-eyed teen spoke calmly. The man opposite of him grit his teeth, his fist clenched. But his expression shifted into a mocking smile.
"As if I would be paying some commoner." The noble sneered. He snapped his fingers and several men in black suits burst through the doors into the chamber. They trained their weapons, which were just standard security batons, at the two.
"Now you have two options…..leave without the money, or deal with my security. Choice is yours." He spoke with arrogance laced in every word as he leaned further back into his chair while resuming filing his finger nails.
Lelouch's expression darkened at the sheer hubris the man before them was displaying. Although, it was something he shouldn't be surprised about. He had faced several nobles who refused to uphold their end of the deal and try to force them away. Key word being 'try'.
Before any of the guards could even try to have at it with the boy, a tall, intimidating figure stood in front of them. The noble had seen him, but this was the first time he got a look. Like the teen, he had a handsome face, as if it were marble, his hair black as the feathers of a raven and hiding his right eye, but one could see the green eyes that peered out, carrying a yellow ring within then. He wore a black buttoned shirt with leather suspenders, a red tie hanging around the collar, complete with slacks, and snuggled inside his trouser's pocket was a round, golden watch. "Sir," the older man, Victor Lamperouge, stated with a cold voice. "I will kindly ask you to honorably fulfill your end of the bargain. Or there will consequences." His tone was tense, and for emphasize, he cracked his knuckles.
"I refuse to be ridiculed by a snot-nosed school boy and some nobody!" The wealthy adult snarled. "Get those vermin!" The men complied as they charged at the duo. Victor just grinned in response, readying his fists.
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A few minutes later, Lelouch and Victor walked out of the Mansion, a check that represented the winnings was held by the former. Behind them were the unconscious bodies of the guards, now beaten bloody with the aristocrat lying face down on the floor, foaming at the mouth, but still alive. Although, it was unlikely that he would remember what transpired due to the metal tray that was thrown and smacked him in the head during the commotion.
"So how did it go guys? Rivalz asked, leaning on a blue motorcycle.
"Same as usual Rivalz." Lelouch answered.
"So how many did Victor beat up this time?" The blue haired teen grinned knowingly. He was aware of what Victor does to those who try to use force to 'escort' him and Lelouch away. Suffice to say, the Motorcycle fanatic was both awestruck and fearful of Victor's fighting capability.
"Fourteen." The older male responded. "By the way Lelouch, eight minutes and thirty-two seconds? That's a new record for you."
"He also didn't have much time to move either. As as opponents go, nobles are tepid." Lelouch answered. "They are just over-privileged parasites, that's all."
"That I agree." Victor nodded.
"Then why don't you challenge one of the Elevens? They're nothing like us Britannians, am I right?" Rivalz offered as they stepped outdoors.
The three stopped at they stared at a news screen, showing the destruction of the terrorist bombing.
"What are they trying to prove by killing innocent people?" A pedestrian questioned. Victor silently grits his teeth.
'They kill because Britannia had taken everything away from them. I doubt you would even make the effort to try and understand them.'
"Those Elevens terrify me…." Another bystander spoke.
The image soon faded with the Imperial Family Coat of Arms taking its place. "We apologize for the delay, now royal highness, Prince Clovis, third Prince of Britannia will address the nation…."
Appearing on the screen was a man in his mid twenties. His golden blonde hair fell neatly to the base of his neck. His eyes blue eyes held a solemn glow, which matched his expression. He wore a royal purple suit and white cape draped around his shoulders.
The Lamperouge siblings failed to stop themselves from scowling upon whom appeared: the Viceroy, Clovis la Britannia.
"To all my imperial subjects…." Clovis announced. "Including of course the many cooperative Elevens that choose to serve the Empire of Britannia!"
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"We're not Elevens!" A red haired girl growled as she watched the speech. "We're Japanese!"
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"Do you not see my pain?" Clovis made the movement of clutching his heart. "My heart was ripped from my chest only to be torn apart!" He shut his eyes as if he were about to cry. "The remnants are filled with rage and sadness. However, as ruler of Area Eleven, I will not tolerate terrorism of any kind! Because the battle we fight is a righteous one! Our virtuous battle, to protect the well being of one and all! Now then everyone, I would like you to join me in observance of the eight who died for justice, in the line of duty….."
The announcer's voice spoke. "A moment of silence please…"
'What a ham...' Victor rolled his eyes.
The trio was at the parking lot, Rivalz getting on his motorcycle while Lelouch checked the parking meter. Victor was putting on his helmet. "Well aren't you gonna join in?" He asked.
"Nope. It won't do anything." Victor shook his head.
"Aren't you?" Lelouch questioned back.
"Heh, it's…..kind of embarrassing…" he admitted.
"And I agree with you. Besides, spilling tears over those people won't bring them back to life, now will it?"
"The dead will remain dead, no matter what happens….." The elder Lamperouge agreed.
"Dang! That's dark you guys."
"It's all about self-satisfaction." Lelouch turned to the news screen with Clovis on screen, taking a moment of silence. "Doesn't matter how hard you try….You can't do it….No way you can change the world…"
Victor frowned, recalling the promise his younger brother made so many years ago. He could remember Lelouch's eyes at the time, so full of rage, bitterness, resent, and hatred. Far more than what a young, ten year old boy should've had. The elder Lamperouge was fully aware that those flames of hatred could not be quelled, no matter how much time has passed.
"You know, we should probably get going guys; otherwise Shirley's going to have a fit going to have a fit." Rivalz brought up, knowing their friends' reaction would be if they knew what they were doing…..again…..
"Indeed." Victor spoke up, taking a glance at his pocket watch. "By the way, you two have about eight minutes before your next class."
"Say what?!" Rivalz panicked. "Come on Lelouch, Victor! We better haul it!"
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As the three were on the road in Rivalz's motorcycle, Lelouch couldn't help but mull over the current situation of his family.
'It's been seven years since Britannia invaded... and both me and my brother have been living a life... a life filled with lies. No one other than our friend from childhood, Milly Ashford, knows the truth about who we are, and who we used to be. As far as everyone at school knows, I'm Lelouch Lamperouge, a brilliant, lazy high school student, and my brother, older than me by two years, is a caring sibling working part-time at a local restaurant. Lyoko, my twin sister, and our youngest, adorable, and most cherishable treasure, Nunnally live in a clubhouse the Ashford family loaned to us. Lyoko is the exact opposite of me: smart, athletic, and the envy of all women because she can eat so much, yet never get fat. Nunnally is the sweet, kind girl you know would never hit a fly, or knew how to do anything even remotely cruel or harmful.
Even if it is a lie, we haven't found ourselves in despair. But... how long before this lie crumbles? How long will it be before someone recognizes us? How long will it be... before people found out that we are royalty?
It has been years since our mother died...and it was deemed that her death was due to the work of terrorists. But both Victor and I knew it was a lie...There was something more going on. And...that man...avoided the truth and abandoned us!' Lelouch's face twisted slightly into a frown, something not missed by his brother, who was in the second side car.
"...uch..."
'But it wasn't a total loss...It was due to that I was finally able to meet my first and true friend...Suzaku...'
"...elouch..."
'I wonder how he's doing now...? We haven't seen each other in so long...'
"Hey Lelouch...!" Rivalz yelled, snapping him out of his contemplation.
"H-huh? What Rivalz?" The violet eyes teen asked.
"Finally, you're back to reality. I was trying to get through to you for a while." He chuckled. "SO why did you start with the king during the match?"
Lelouch closed his eyes and let out a small grin, as if he knew he would ask that. "If a King does not lead...how can he expect his subordinates to follow?"
"What's up with that?" his friend asked him, smiling slightly. "You planning on running a company or something?"
Lelouch chuckled at the very thought of becoming a big-time CEO while Victor hid his cringe, an image of a burly man with a stone face and a red coat entered his mind. "No way, ambitions like that will ruin your health."
"Yeah? Well Lyoko would tell you otherwise...I wonder how she's doing right now?" Victor thought.
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Meanwhile, back at Ashford, a group of four girls were eating lunch, deep in conversation.
"Hey, where's Lelouch?" A girl with copper red hair asked as she ate her lunch. She had a beautiful face with jade yellow eyes that seemed to glow faintly. She was wearing a school uniform that consisted of a light yellow blazer, white buttoned shirt, green tie, and black e also wore navy knee socks and black dress shoes. Her name was Shirley Fennett.
"He went off somewhere with Rivalz..." The girl facing her responded. She had wavy, bronze-gold hair that stopped at her shoulder and gray blue eyes. She too possessed a curvacious figure and had a mischievous smile on her face. her name was Milly Ashford. "Maybe it's poker this time?" Milly was fully aware of her friend's gambling exploits.
"They seem to forget that they're on the Student Council!" Shirley argued. "And they're off gambling for money! Lulu may be smart, but he wastes his brain on stupid things." She took a bit of her lunch. "If only he applied himself at school he would get high grades!"
"You know how my brother is Shirley..." The other girl facing her responded as she munched on her tomato cupcake. She greatly resembled Lelouch, only her midnight black hair was much longer, falling down to her waist, her features more feminine, as well as possessing an equally voluptuous figure to her blonde haired friend. She was Lyoko Lamperouge. "He just finds school boring."
"I know, but still. He could at least act like your other brother, Victor. At least he's more responsible."
"You do know that Victor is actually with Lelouch in the gambling, right?"
"WHAT?!"
"It's true..." The female Lamperouge said as she finished her cupcake before picking up another to eat.
"How can you let your brothers do this Koko?!" Shirley demanded, using the nickname she had for the girl.
"They have their reasons..."
"Like what?..." The swimmer interrogated.
"..." Lyoko remained silent as she munched on her third cupcake after finishing her second.
"How many of those can you eat?"
"T-that's not important!" Lyoko shouted defensively, her cheeks lightly tinted as her hands went down to her stomach.
Milly giggled, eyeing her form. "You know, it's almost cute how you're the exact opposite of Lelouch. You actually put effort into school work, plus you're the star member of the track team!" her eyes began roaming down Lyoko's slim form. "I can name hundreds of women who would kill to eat as much as they want and never get fat..."
At this, Shirley pouted and crossed her arms. "Why can't Lulu follow her example?"
At this, Lyoko sighed. "In the words of our older brother, Victor, 'he hates any and all activities relating to PE.'" she shook her head. "Why didn't me and Suzaku try harder...?"
"Huh?" Shirley realized what she said. "Who's Suzaku?"
"A good friend of my brother and me. He really helped us out seven years ago." She said proudly. She remembered her first friend fondly, how they possessed so much in common, and how her brother called him 'a damn exercise nut'. Just thinking about him brought a smile to her face.
"Oh?" Milly caught that smile Lyoko had. "Looks like Koko has a crush..." Her grin resembled the Chesire Cat's.
"Wh-What?! I-I-It's not like that at all!" She blushed heavily.
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Elsewhere, a brown-haired youth with soft green eyes sneezed violently, nearly losing his grip on his helmet. "Is someone talking about me?"
"404! What the hell are you doing! Get your ass moving and get ready!" A commanding voice ordered.
"Yes sir!" The Youth saluted.
Once the boy was on the move, he quickly put on his helmet, but before he did so, he took a small glance at the photograph in his hand that was crumpled up from having been shuffled inside his pocket for so long. It showed him and four others, two boys and two girls. Three of them had black hair, and the other, a girl with her eyes closed and placed on a wheelchair. Two of the three black-haired children had purple eyes, the most beautiful he had seen, while the other, the oldest of them by two to four years, had green eyes with a golden ring.
"Lelouch...Victor...Nunnally...Lyoko...I swear I will find you all again..." The boy whispered in determination before placing the photograph in his pocket, right next to an old pocket watch.
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Elsewhere, back with Rivalz, Lelouch, and Victor, the drive was going along smoothly until a loud honking sound came up from behind them. "Bwuh?!" the blue-haired teen looked over his shoulder to see a large truck riding up from behind them. "AAAAH! WE'RE GONNA DIE!"
Victor scowled, leaning over and grabbing the controls. "Hold on tight everybody!" he shouted as he moved the bike out of the truck's path.
Inside the truck, the driver scowled. "Dammit, watch where you're going, you idiots!" he cursed before he swirled the wheel around. Unfortunately, he didn't realize where he was going, but his crimson-haired companion did. "No, not that way!" He didn't understand it in time, as the truck swirled down the lane and slammed right into the building.
Up on the highway, Rivalz sweat-dropped slightly at the sight. "Uh... was that our fault?"
"How should I know?" Victor asked as he hopped out. "Is everyone alright?"
"I'm fine..." Lelouch groaned, rubbing his side from the sudden change in the bike's movements, leading up to his ribs slamming into the car. "What was up with that?"
"Who knows?" Rivalz said before he looked at the power gauge in his bike, and groaned. "Aw, man, the power's cut!"
Lelouch was about to respond when he caught something flowing out of the open compartment atop the truck, akin to green whispers. "What the..."
"Lelouch?" his older brother asked out in confusion, walking up beside him before he frowned. "Wait, what is that?"
"Hey, Rivalz, check this out."
"Hey...over here!" Before the blue haired youth could respond, Lelouch turned right to see people gathering to speculate the scene. Both he and victor could hear the clamor of gossip from the spectators, some even taking out their phones to grab a visual shot.
"Maybe someone oughta go help." One of them said.
Victor scowled. 'Idiots. If you think someone should, why don't you?' This was why he held such people in contempt. People like them do nothing but desire results. That is not how the world works.
"All those idiots..." Lelouch muttered. He turned to face his brother, who nodded as if understanding. The two removed their helmets and tossed them into Rivalz's side car before heading down to the truck.
"Hey wait!" Rivalz tried calling them back.
Unfortunately, the teen's words fell on deaf ears as the brothers sped down the lane and ran up to the truck. "You check the driver, I'll see about up top!" Victor said, to which Lelouch nodded in understanding.
The elder of the two climbed up on top of the ladder while Lelouch went to driver area. Steel beams were barring his path, leaving entry impossible. Trying to move a beam, Lelouch grabbed one of them and pulled, but was unable to. "Hey, are you alright?!" he called out, trying again.
Victor stood atop the roof, looking for anything that could help him and his brother get the people out of there when he noticed something lying inside of the storage area. It resembled some kind of capsule with metal rods sticking out of it. "The hell?" he muttered. "Hey, Lelouch, any luck on your end?" he called out his brother, hoping he was having better luck.
"No, nothing!" he responded back, much to the elder sibling's disappointment. "Do you see any way inside?"
"Other than from up here? No, I-"
...it's you...
"What...?" Victor stopped after hearing the voice that seemed to echo inside his head. He looked around, trying to find its origin, only to see nothing.
"Are you alright Victor?" Lelouch asked as he climbed up to his brother.
"Y-yeah...I'm fine." He nodded.
...I finally found you, my...
Once again, Victor head a voice echoing within his head, only slightly louder. He looked around again, and saw faint green wisps slowly flowing out of the capsule inside the truck.
"Hey, are you in there?!" Lelouch called out, leaning forward. Victor felt a slight rumbling beneath his feet, and before he could warn his brother, the truck lurched forward, forcing the in as the truck backed out.
The two fell and landed on the metal floor. They rolled forward before sitting up.
"Stop! We're in here!" Lelouch called out. But they were pressed against the wall from the truck turning.
As the truck sped away...Rivalz spoke, mostly to himself. "So, would you call that a hit and run?"
As the vehicle was back on the road, Victor and Lelouch pulled themselves on their feet. "You'd think they'd stick a ladder on the inside too." The younger Lamperouge said.
"Yeah, this was reckless on their part. Let's see if we can climb this." Victor gestured tothe large metal canister.
"Okay..." but before they could even move, an authoritative voice rang out from outside the truck.
"Stop the vehicle!" Victor's eyes widened as he and Lelouch looked at each other, recognizing that sort of tone anywhere. "Give yourselves up now, and you'll have the right to defend yourselves in court!"
"The army?" Victor muttered, looking at the capsule. "Then, we're in a truck hijacked by terrorists..."
Lelouch scowled. "Great, just freaking great!"
"What do we do?!" the driver asked, panicked as he looked at his companion. "That's the army!"
"Did you already forget?!" the woman asked hotly as she removed her cap, revealing a red headband around her forehead and cold, sapphire eyes. "That's why I'm here!"
"If we jump out, we have the choice of breaking our necks or getting shot." Lelouch deducted.
"A lose-lose situation." Victor agreed.
"I can try calling..." Lelouch stopped himself as he and his brother hid themselves as they a door opening. They saw someone walk past them. It was a girl with short red hair that seemed to defy gravity at the back and a red headband. She took off her jacket to show herself clad in a brown and red shirt and brown shorts. She had arm bands that were light in color and reached halfway up her biceps.
"Can you enter the subway via the Azaba route?" She asked.
"Kallen, why don't we use it here?!" the driver shouted back, only for the now-named Kallen to retort back.
"If we did that, it'll be a blood bath!"
"Tch-you're right...!"
The girl passed by the two, not noticing them as she walked straight into the back portion of the truck. Lelouch's eyes narrowed down on her, gears whirling in her head. "Does she look familiar?" Victor asked.
"Yes I've seen her before..." The younger brother responded.
"From school maybe?"
XXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, with Rivalz...
"C'mon Lelouch! Victor! Where are you?! We gotta get to school!" He was near the scene of the incident, trying to look for his friends.
XXXXXXXXXX
Back to Lelouch and Victor...
To the two's surprise, the back part of the truck opened up to reveal something that made Victor's eyes widen, recognizing the metal frame due to his mother's teachings. "That's a...!"
The military fired off more warning rounds, hoping to get a rise out of the terrorists. However, they didn't expect the back portion of the storage area to open up. A red anchor shot right out of it, slamming right into one of the helicopters. The pilot's recognized it immediately, and paled. "A-a slash harken?!"
They finally got a look of what was inside. It was a Knightmare with a dark torso, the rest of it colored light pinkish red. Its face split open into four parts, revealing a black sphere with multi-colored rings spreading out from it. "A Knightmare!"
Inside the cockpit was the girl from earlier, Kallen. "You people should know what this badass mother can do!" she cried out as the Knightmare, a fourth-generation Glasgow, leaped out of the truck and unto the street, long suspenders with wheels falling from it's ankles. It fired off another pair of slash harkens, destroying another helicopter.
"Crap, these people are really terrorists!" Lelouch scowled, making a break for the exit, only for it to close in his face. Victor, on the other hand, took the time to admire the girl's skills, having been trained to pilot a Knightmare himself when he was younger, courtesy of his mother.
"Well, I don't know about you," the older Lamperouge sibling said. "but I'd rather take my chances with a group of terrorists over the military."
"...You have a point." Lelouch agreed. He understood that the military would just keep firing until the terrorists were incapacitated, which could lead them to get killed in the crossfire.
XXXXXXXXXX
As Kallen in her Knightmare took down another helicopter, a new voice resounded.
"The rest of you back off. I'll take care of this guy." A new aircraft appeared, carrying a new Knightmare. It was built similarly to the Glascow, but it possessed a gray torso, purple limbs and head, and dark red shoulders and face. It was a fifth-generation Sutherland. "I can only assume you dug that obsolete relic out of some scrap heap." It's pilot spoke as the aircraft released the Knightmare. Just as Kallen fired a slash harken at it, the opposing knocked it away. "An over the heap Glascow is no match for a Sutherland!"
Just as Kallen fired off some rounds off the gun attached to the Glasgow's wrist, the purple machine evaded it easily. The pilot, a young man with teal blue hair swept and styled neatly with orange eyes, wearing a black and blue pilot suit with gold tailings. "Not to mention a filthy Eleven who scorns the compassion of our beloved Emperor!" Jeremiah Gottwald said as he rushed forward, a steel baton emerging from the Sutherland's wrist. Kallen recognized it as a Stun Tonfa.
"Kallen, run for it!" the driver, Nagata, screamed at her via comm-link. "Let's meet up later! No point if the both of us get killed!"
"But-!"
Her voice was cut off as Nagata swirled off, a stream of bullets pounding against the truck from a Sutherland that appeared in front of it. "Simple minded-Eleven." the pilot, a woman with long silver hair tied back with golden eyes and dark skin said with a smirk, knowing she had hit a fatal wound. Kallen scowled, about to rush off to help Nagata, but found herself against the Sutherland. She tried to fire off another slash harken, but the anchor would not remove itself from the Knightmare. "It's stuck?!" she cried out in disbelief.
Jeremiah smirked. "Second-hand junk!" He rushed forward with great speed, ramming the Stun Tonfa into it's arm. Kallen immediately seized the opportunity, and detached the arm. The dislocated metal limb exploded, creating a giant cloud of smoke, allowing her to get away. Jeremiah didn't pursue, seeing as how she and her companion were already done for, but strangely, he found a smile of nostalgia spread across his face. "You've got spirit, I'll give you that. In fact, it reminds me of the Black Knight of Britannia." Then, just as quickly did it appear did the smile turn into a malicious smirk. "However..."
XXXXXXXXXX
"Tch...no cell phone reception; we're out of range." Lelouch clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Judging from the darkness and road surface we must be driving along the old subway lines."
"They must be headed for an exit somewhere in the Ghetto. Getting out now would be dangerous." Victor continued the train of thought.
"Still..." Lelouch closed his eyes, deep in thought, before opening them. "Okay, I got it. I'm not big on the military but we should take their protection." His fingers wrapped around a communicator. "If we give them a terrorist communicator...Oh, wait I forgot..."
"Forgot what?" Victor asked, frowning slightly.
XXXXXXXXXX
Elsewhere, a large man with dark skin and an orange monacle was stomping out to the field when someone stood right in front of him. "Aha..." Bartley stood back a bit, recognizing him as Lloyd Asplund, head technition of the A.S.E.E.C special corps unit that was funded by the Second Prince, Schneizel el Britannia. Lloyd was a young man with steely blue hair and cold, yet sparkling bright blue eyes with glasses over them, dressed in a white labcoat with an armband around his bicep. "W-what are you doing?" Bartley asked, slightly spooked by Lloyd's actions.
"Looking at a man who blundered." Lloyd answered with a Cheshire like grin. "You really screwed this one up. Terrorists came along and stole whatever it was that you and Prince Clovis were secretly working on. Retrieving it is simple, but you want to sweep up all their compatriots in addition. Let the terrorists go, and you can find their hideout, too." Lloyd spun around on his heel, turning to the woman behind him. "Congratulations! Your reasoning was spot-on!"
The woman was quite young, slightly younger than Lloyd, with chin length dark blue hair, wearing the standard military uniform with the same armbad as Lloyd's. "I-it's just, I found it strange, that's all..." she stammered.
Bartley didn't have time to deal with these antics. He was already walking on a thin line as is. "Alright, what is the special corps wants?" he asked, wanting to get straight to the point."
"Oh, nothing much..." Lloyd waved his hand in a jovial matter. "We'd simply like to assist, that's all."
"Assist?" Bartley repeated, confused.
"Correct, because it's data I want."
"Um, excuse me..." the woman, Cecile Croomy, spoke up. "Just what exactly did they steal?"
Bartley avoided eye-contact. "Chemical weapons..." he told them. "In other words... poison gas."
XXXXXXXXXX
"The terrorists are hiding in the subway system. You're mission is to retrieve what was stolen. Investigate the old subway system that runs through the Eleven residential district in the Shinjuku Ghetto." As aircrafts hovered over the designated area, soldiers in black and gray suits lowered themselves down using cables. Their identities concealed by black helmets that doubled as gas masks. "Report in the moment you spot them. Recovery of the target will be handled by us, the Royal Guard! You people bear the Honorary title of Britannians now but you were born Elevens. Therefore the stench of these monkeys oughta be a familiar one." The soldeirs broke off and scattered in various directions. One went down into the subway entrance before him. If you want to earn the right to carry arms, then show some results!" Back at the aircraft, the commander, a middle aged man with dark blue hair, sideburns, and goatee and gray eyes, with a scar under his right eye barked the orders. He wore a red captain's uniform, showing he was the head of the Royal Guard. "This is an opportunity to show your loyalty to Britannia!"
"Yes! My lord!"
XXXXXXXXXX
Back with the driver of the truck, Nagata, he gripped his shoulder tightly. Blood stained through the coat, and out from the shoulder. His vision was blurry, unable to see what was ahead of him. The truck lurched forward, the tire falling right through a collapsed part in the railway, causing smoke to build up around them. One soldier stopped in his tracks, hearing the noise further in the station, and went to investigate. Nagata gritted his teeth, unable to feel his arm at this point. "Please... Ohgi..." the man said as his finger pressed the small button along the dashboard. "Find me..."
Once the button was pushed, the compartment opened up, much to the surprise of the two siblings. "W-what the...?" Lelouch stammered, confused for a moment as he looked around outside. "It's a train station... I think we're in the ghettos, judging from how much bad shape this place is in." he noted.
"Lelouch, help me out over here!" Victor called out from behind. The violet-eyed turn to see his older brother hauling a man out from the driver area. "He's bleeding out! Help me with the wound!"
"R-right!" Lelouch quickly ran over to the two, ripping off a piece of his jacket and tying it tightly around the man's arm. "He's probably unconscious from the blood loss..." Lelouch said as he stood up. "We should get out of here. I really don't want to take my chances with the army finding us."
"Agreed." Victor nodded, hoisting the man up onto his back and slinging his arms over his shoulders. However, just Victor stood up, Lelouch was suddenly knocked to his side, sliding all the way back to where the Glasgow emerged. "Lelouch!" Victor cried out in panic before turning to see a figure in a military uniform. "Are you... a Britannian?" he said slowly, eyes narrowing into a glare.
The soldier said nothing, instead he dashed forward to deliver a hard strike. However, Victor proved to hold more experience than he did, moving swiftly to the left, despite the extra weight he carried on his back. Moving out his leg, he caused the soldier to stumble, forcing him to the ground. The soldier performed a summer salt, and quickly stood up and twirled around, aiming a gun at him. "That's enough mindless murder!"
Something in Victor's mind clicked, hearing that voice somewhere before. It was deeper with a familiar tone... but where had he heard this man's voice? No, not a man. He sounded young, maybe his brother and Lyoko's age. Seventeen, eighteen maybe.
"We're not terrorists!" Lelouch shouted, standing back up after he shrugged off his dizziness. The soldier appeared to ignore him, and focused his attention on Victor.
"Planning on using poison gas?" the soldier asked with a hostile tone. "Don't play dumb with me!"
"Shut up!" the soldier leaped back to outside the truck, evading a strike from Lelouch. "If that's poison gas, then it was made in Britannia, wasn't it?" The soldier stopped, finally getting a better look at the two. He gasped in shock, his eyes wide beneath the helmet.
"My god..."
"Mindless murder?" Lelouch shook with rage, glaring at one of the people of the country that made his and his brother and sisters' life a living hell. "Then why don't you just obliterate Britannia!"
"Agreed." Victor nodded. "You keep saying that you're a Holy Empire, but you stoop so low as to use chemical weapons? If anyone is committing mindless murder, it's you bastards."
"...Lelouch? Victor-niisan?"
The two stopped, their eyes widening. Finally, Victor recognized the voice, and stared in wonder. "It can't be..." he whispered as the solider dropped the gun and removed his helmet, revealing a youth with brown hair and green eyes.
It was...
"S-Suzaku?"
"Guys...It's me..." The young man, now named Suzaku, smiled. Memories recalled themselves within the minds of both brothers. Of the times they all shared when they first arrived in Japan, all the way to the time when they were separated after the Britannian invasion.
"You..." Lelouch finally spoke. "...You became a Britannian soldier...?"
"Yeah and what about you two? You guys are-"
"What are you saying?!" Lelouch cut him off.
Suddenly, the metal canister next to all of them glowed brightly before it started to open. The locks placed all over it were undoing themselves, steam rising.
Lelouch and Victor were taken by surprise. But Suzaku reacted quickly and shoved gas masks over their mouths one was the spare he carried, the other was the one he wore was wearing previously.
'Suzaku…..why would you endanger yourself to save us?' Victor thought as he realized what happened.
Victor's train of thought, however, came to an abrupt halt when the capsule fully opened. What was inside was not colored smoke, like they had expected. "That's... not poison gas..." Suzaku said in surprise. "What is it?"
The light show finally died down, revealing something they never expected: a girl.
To be continued...
Preview:
"Lelouch vi Britannia commands you...Die!"
"Once you get inside this big beauty, everything will change, both you and your world!"
"I want payback for getting dragged into your war."
"Well then..."
