A/N: Apparently people like my portrayal of Jeremiah Gottwald as being more than just a mindless loyal berserker...
A/N-2:This chapter my be a little ... off... I am just getting back to fanic writing after focusing on my last semester... BTW I have now graduated from college!
When Jeremiah awoke the following morning he went about his usual routine at first; including attending to his Emperor's needs before taking his morning jog around the palace grounds; it was during this jog that he took a detour and headed to his office early. He then made his call to the disposable cellphone he had given Princess Cornelia...
Cornelia woke to the obnoxious ringing of the disposable cellphone that Gottwald had given her the previous night. It took her a minute to get her bearings, suddenly she realized that someone was holding her. Reacting instinctively Cornelia groggily pushed her assailant away before realizing that she had just knocked her knight to the ground. Quickly Apologizing to her knight Cornelia grabbed the cellphone and flipped it open. "Hello? Gottwald?" It took her a second to understand the message hidden in the words that came out of the phone.
"Yes I was calling to talk about the Paper delivery... Yes were running a bit low... the order will need to be increased to 2230 reams can you get that to the palace today?... that's disappointing; so tonight then? yes, well please get it here as soon as soon as possible... This is a monthly order... okay... Please deliver it to the western gate... thank you ma'am; you and you company are performing a great service to his Majesty..." and then Gottwald hung up on her... at first she was incensed and almost screamed before realizing that this was the orders concerning the place and time...
Gilbert Guilford watched his princess as she pondered the message she just received from Sir Gottwald...
Suddenly his princess spoke up "Tonight, Twenty Two Hundred and Thirty hours, at the Western Gate of the Palace eh? Gilbert send Viletta Nu to scout out the Western Gate; she knows what to look for if there is a trap and the guards won't find a pregnant woman suspicious. If we don't take the chance tonight we'll have to wait another week. In the meantime we'll need to ready the troops to storm the palace; we'll meet before at the vacant restaurant near the west gate at 2200 hours." Guilford scrambled off to send Viletta on her mission while Cornelia took a moment to ponder about whether she had made the right decision.
After finishing his conversation with Cornelia and taking care of some real paperwork (god he hated paperwork) He went to meet with his lord at the breakfast table along with Miss C.C. and Suzaku Kururugi for their daily briefing on the progress of the Zero Requiem; most of it was just the standard stuff; a quick rehash of the plan before Lelouch started giving out orders; there was nothing for him to do for the plan today; but Suzaku got his marching orders.
"Suzaku; I have set up a safe-house for you on the outskirts of the city; here's the address. Leave through the underground maintenance shaft you should get there by nightfall. As you know the execution is in a week so prepare yourself for what lies ahead." Lelouch told his intended replacement.
Upon hearing this Jeremiah was relieved for it meant that he didn't have to force Kururugi out of the picture... something that he hadn't been entirely clear on how he was going to accomplish. He allowed himself a slight smile; a smile which only C.C. noticed.
Once the meeting was over and all of the conspirators had gone their separate ways Jeremiah found himself suddenly cornered by the Gray Witch.
"What are you up to Orange? You seem far too happy for a man who is about to lose his lord... What are you planning?" C.C. asked.
"What makes you think that?!" Gottwald said involuntarily panicking.
"I've got it you promised Marianne you would protect her children... you're planning on stopping the requiem aren't you?"
"What... no! Are you crazy?"
C.C. then surprised Gottwald who believed that the jig was up "Count me in."
"What..." Gottwald replied stunned
"He still hasn't completed his end of our contract; and he can't do that if he's dead."
After a bit more convincing from C.C. Jeremiah started sharing the details of the plan with her.
"So Orange when we are captured by Cornelia you want me to share this plan with Lelouch?" C.C. asked
"Yes but you need to share it as discretely as possible and at a point where he cannot do anything but follow the plan; can you do this?" Jeremiah asked
"Don't insult me Orange, I can take care of it without making a sound. But! You owe me several pizzas for going into the line of fire; I may be immortal but getting shot still hurts."
"You shall get them lady C.C. now excuse me I have to get back to my duties."
Cornelia meanwhile went over the plan that she had devised with her team. Even though she was fairly sure (not really but it was her best shot) that Jeremiah did intend to help them overthrow Lelouch you could never be too careful. while they would enter through the west entrance they would show up with a small extraction team. She then finished her plan and got her troops settled into position outside the gates.
When the time came Jeremiah Gottwald appeared before the gate and signaled that everything was ready for the coup; venturing out herself with only Guilford at her side Cornelia met Gottwald outside the gate to confirm that it wasn't a trap. The soldiers didn't even acknowledge her existence. After a quick exchange she waved her troops forwards from cover and entered the palace grounds soon they stood at their ambush point.
Lelouch was walking down the hall talking with C.C. while his small honor guard of geassed soldiers acted as protection.
"C.C. you don't seem to understand how much this interferes with my plans; Since Cornelia dropped off the map yesterday I haven't been able to find her." Lelouch exasperatedly informed his witch.
'Lelouch you don't even have the slightest clue how much this is going to ruin your plans' C.C. thought which brought a small smirk to her face. "Lelouch I think you are worrying too much I am sure that everything will turn out for the best."
It was at that moment that pandemonium broke loose in the cramped hallway as a pregnant Viletta Nu and Cornelia's Knight Gilbert Guilford burst through twin doors to the side guns blazing taking out several of the honor guard before they could even react, C.C. quickly grabbed Lelouch by the arm and made as if to run to get him to safety, transferring Jeremiah's plans directly to Lelouch's mind just before taking a shot to the side of her head. Moments later Lelouch was surrounded by Cornelia's troops; his last conscious thought before being knocked out was 'Dammit Orange!' Just as the butt of a rifle cracked in the back of the skull knocking him unconscious.
"Now you will die you bastard!" Viletta exclaimed as she aimed her gun at the head of the Demon Emperor and went to pull the trigger. Seeing this Jeremiah sprung into action knocking the pregnant woman to the ground before the gun could go off, the bullet ending up in his leg instead of in Lelouch's head.
"I do not care if you are pregnant Viletta; you shall not bring him any further harm he has suffered more than you can ever begin to imagine."
Viletta screamed back "He doesn't deserve to live Jeremiah!" with that she grabbed her gun again only for her wrist to be pulverized beneath the mechanical might of Jeremiah's boot.
With Viletta writhing in pain on the ground while other members of the resistance cell stared on in shock. After a moment Cornelia began delegating tasks. "Guilford, Jeremiah and I will take Lelouch to an isolation cell for both his and our protection, the rest of you are to head to the rest of the cells and start freeing his prisoners. Collect the leaders of the Black Knights in a conference room." as an afterthought she added "And one of you take care of Viletta's wrist."
Kaname Ohgi sat in the corner of his cell looking around, he could have sworn that he had heard a firing squad suddenly the door of the cell opened up to reveal... someone who wasn't one of Lelouch's men.
"Who are you? What happened?" Ohgi asked
"I am one of Princess Cornelia's men and Emperor Lelouch has been deposed, and I am to bring you to a conference room to help determine his fate."
Similar events played out with the other Black Knight leaders however General Tohdoh waited for Kallen to be let out.
"General? What's this all about? I was told that Lelouch was defeated..."
"Indeed, were you asked to attend the meeting?"
"Meeting?..." Kallen said confused
"I'll take that as a no... The meeting to decide Lelouch's fate Kouzuki." Tohdoh responded
"What?! I need to be there! I failed him once... I can't fail him like that a third time."
"The Demon Emperor?"
"No... Lelouch; the man I love... I am not going to leave him to the mercy of his enemies again. Never again." At this Tohdoh raised his eyebrow
"Then we had better get going."
After Lelouch had been brought to the isolation cell and bound in a straightjacket Cornelia, Gilbert and Jeremiah all headed for he conference room
As Lelouch slowly woke from slumber he noted a few things...
1. He was restrained.
2. He wasn't blindfolded, but they had put one of the old Black Knight visors on him.
3. He wasn't alone.
As his sleep blind eyes adjusted to the bright light of the cell he was in he noticed five figures; the first one on the left was obviously General Tohdoh, even by a silhouette no one else could stand that stiffly; next to him was a man who could only be Jeremiah, Lelouch still didn't understand why Gottwald had betrayed him so but he intended to find out. Beside Gottwald was the worst traitor Lelouch knew Kaname Ohgi that sight immediately soured his expression. The next pair were easily deducible after all Cornelia wouldn't tolerate any other man to stand that close to her unless they were family. The final figure was the one that jarred him out of his musings 'Why did they bring Nunnally?' as he thought though he remembered the plan that C.C. had shared with him and he quickly changed his expression.
The other occupants of the room watched as Lelouch's face shifted quickly from shock to anger.
"Get that Impostor out of my sight. NOW!" Lelouch spat and confusion washed over Nunnally's face before she tried to defend herself.
"But Nii-Sama..." Nunnally started
"DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT YOU EXECRABLE CARICATURE!" Lelouch roared
Cornelia rushed to the defense of her youngest living sibling "Stop Lelouch, you're hurting her!"
"Why should I care? I don't know what damned pit you dragged her out of or what Quack of a plastic surgeon you used but I know one thing. THAT THING THERE IS NOT NUNNALLY! NUNNALLY IS DEAD!" he yelled as tears began rolling down his cheeks at that statement
"Lelouch this is Nunnally! She is really alive!" Cornelia protested.
"Stop this farce NOW Cornelia; I lost Nunnally the very same day that you, Schneizel and the Black Knights forced me to cast aside the only other person who I could fight for. You killed my little sister; then your actions forced me to cast aside the last light in my life just so she could live!" At this Ohgi began to look ill. "And now you have the gall to show me this mockery of sweet Nunnally again? Have you no shame?"
At this Cornelia ordered Guilford to leave with Nunnally and keep her company while Lelouch continued his rant.
"I'll admit you and Schneizel had me fooled at first; the two of you so expertly played my heartstrings, you had me convinced that you had recovered her alive and brainwashed her; then your little puppet screwed it all up, she did one thing that Nunnally never would have done... she called me a Demon; when I realized that you and Schneizel created that... thing... to fool me; the little faith I still had in humanity died. If people are capable of making a mockery out of the image of the purest person to ever live, then the human race needed to be forced back onto the right track..."
After a few moments grumbling angrily to himself while everyone looked on in shock Lelouch switched topics; "Regardless, congratulations Cornelia you defeated me; do you plan on parading me through town before you execute me? Am I to die here? Or does my fate lie in torture? Though... I suppose I owe you a debt Cornelia your example finally drove home what C.C. told me so long ago..."
"What are you talking about?" Cornelia asked confused
"If you have someone you don't want to lose, you should..." Jeremiah began.
"...keep them at a distance..." Gilbert Guilford finished
"What better distance than hatred?" Lelouch said as he started chuckling in a broken way. "It's the perfect plan! Mother, Euphie, Shirley and Nunnally all died because they cared about me too much..."
"Lelouch you're insane!" Cornelia exclaimed
"Am I insane? Am I insane? Well... YES! I realized that a month ago! I revel in it! Especially if the alternative is being a blithering imbecile!" Lelouch criticized with an expression of disgust at the trio that dared to presume they were worthy of interrogating him.
Ohgi was the first to respond; "What? I won't stand for this!"
"Oh yes you will Kaname Ohgi; the man who automatically trusted Viletta Nu who is still a registered member of the damned purist faction! And let's not forget that she is the very same woman who SHOT you during the Black Rebellion; FOR A NOBLE TITLE! And You Kyoshiro Tohdoh A supposedly honorable man who chose the side of his sworn enemy over that of the commander that he had sworn to serve; and on what evidence? Evidence provided by the enemy that had every damn reason to want your commander dead! I see nothing but dishonor in your actions. you should have committed Seppuku long ago but you are too much of a coward. And you Cornelia do you honestly think I didn't see who your shock troops were? What the hell were you doing sending an obviously pregnant woman and a blind man in first! Are miss Nu and your Knight Guilford simply meat shields? Either you are more coldhearted than I, drowning in what others would call madness, or you are a bigger dunce than Shinichiro Tamaki!"
Lelouch was rather satisfied when he saw that he had managed to put his interrogators on bad terms with one another but fought down a smile as Cornelia looked mortified for just a split second, Ohgi glared angrily at Cornelia and Tohdoh looked suspiciously at both of them.
After letting the tension build between the three for a bit while Jeremiah looked on bemused, Lelouch sighed in a depressed manner as he turned around and lay down trying to find some comfort on the concrete he was chained to. "It probably doesn't matter, but Cornelia I do have one request."
This broke Cornelia out of her own thoughts and he turned er attention to Lelouch. "What is it Lelouch?"
"If our relationship as half-siblings still means anything... I want to be cremated... I don't know maybe you should throw me into the sun with the Damocles I'd rather not have my body be a trophy for anyone once I'm gone."
"It won't come to that Lelouch."
"Do you think I want life imprisonment Cornelia? I don't have anything left to live for... I was supposed to die... It's the only way I can keep them safe..."
A/N: Sorry about taking so long to get anything out I had my last semester to focus on, and if nyone thinks that this is poor quality I really need to get back into the wing of writing Code Geass fanfiction.
Word count: 2,838