It was almost astounding how alive Lelouch vi Britannia felt standing amongst a room full of corpses. It wasn't like he'd never seen a corpse before; he'd seen far too many, in fact, too many for a boy his age. But looking upon the bodies of the dead Britannian soldiers, realizing how close he'd come to joining them in death, sobered Lelouch's very brief high from obtaining his Geass power.
The sound of a distant bomb shook Lelouch back to reality. He glanced up at one of the massive holes blown in the wall, looking into the cloud-covered sky; there were more blue Knightmare frames being deployed into the Ghetto, presumably Britannian frames. Lelouch could almost see it now; the gut-wrenching roar of the Knightmare Frame's engines, the thunderclap explosions of its rifle, the ease with which it could trample any human who dared to stand against it.
They're going to find me… Lelouch realized. If not now, then soon…
Lelouch's eyes suddenly focused on Suzaku's unresponsive body. Face riven with tension and eyes wild, Lelouch quickly ran to Suzaku, almost stumbling over the corpses, and hoisted up his arm, checking his pulse.
…There's a trail of blood under him, a little away from me. Did he try to crawl, to say something? Lelouch almost felt sick until he felt a small, subtle thump. His pulse! Lelouch checked Suzaku's other wrist, to ensure he wasn't deluding himself, and gasped in relief when he felt it once more. Suzaku was bleeding from his lower back, not profusely, but dangerously enough that alarms began flaring in Lelouch's head.
This is bad… Lelouch, seeing no other options, tried to tear off a chunk of his Ashford uniform, and moved toward the collar shirt beneath instead; he managed to finally snag off a piece of his sleeve using the knife of a dead soldier. Semper fi. Lelouch placed it atop the presumed wound, applied pressure.
If he goes on any longer without treatment, he's going to bleed to death, basically dying in his sleep! Could my Geass work?! I have the power of the king, after all, whatever that is! Maybe I can save his life.
Lelouch gingerly turned Suzaku onto his side, looking at his closed eyelids. He looks peaceful… Lelouch, channeling all his mental energy into his Geass, he felt it activate, and he looked directly at Suzaku. "Suzaku! I order you to live!"
A second passed, two, three. Lelouch's breath was irregular by this point. When I told the soldier to die, he said something along the lines of "Yes, at once!" Shouldn't Suzaku say something too?! Wait – his eyes!
Lelouch pulled open the right eyelid of Suzaku. "I order you to live!"
Nothing.
I guess it doesn't work on the unconscious, or without eye contact… damn it! Why didn't that girl tell me any of this?! Lelouch craned his head to look at the corpse of the mysterious girl, lying there in a pool of her own blood, who appeared to have the look of being dead yet not quite dead.
I don't understand what you wanted me to do. Why did you give me this power? What's that wish you spoke about?
The grating scream of a Knightmare rifle startled Lelouch. Wincing at the noise, he realized a Knightmare Frame was coming close to the warehouse, too close. Lelouch stumbled backwards, standing up, looking for an exit or a hideout and seeing none of value. It was too late, anyway – the Knightmare Frame had arrived. It was a sleek, vicious-looking Sutherland Frame, the standard Britannian military model, equipped with a scanner, positron rifle, enhanced Landspinners capable of goring people and Knightmares alike.
The scanner activated, and Lelouch decided he would do what he did best: plan. No point in running… I have to do something to survive… Hopefully this pilot doesn't kill me.
The scanner de-activated, and Lelouch heard the intercom on the Knightmare turn on with a satisfying buzz, a far friendlier sound than a bullet. "What happened here?! What's a student doing in the ghettos like this? Answer me, and explain yourself quickly, boy!" A woman's voice, crystal clear and authoritarian.
Lelouch turned his body toward the Knightmare; she yelled at him to put his hands up, which he did obligingly. She's the one with the humongous rifle. "My name is Allan Spacer!" Geass. "I order you to come out of there at once!"
The female pilot was silent for a moment. "Who the hell are you to order me around?!"
Lelouch sighed in annoyance. This proves it. Geass doesn't work without direct eye contact. Plan B. "My name is Allan Spacer, like I said… I'm the son of a local duke. You probably know my dad; his name's Albert Spacer. I never meant to get caught up in this mess – I was kidnapped by the terrorists here! The soldiers came in to… help, but the terrorists killed them all and then killed themselves! Please, you have to believe me!"
Silence met him once again. She was scrutinizing him.
"My I.D. is in my breast pocket here! You can confirm who I am like that… how's that sound?"
Lelouch felt his satisfaction mount when he heard the low hum of the Knightmare going offline, the pilot taking her ignition key out of the slot. The cockpit panel opened up, and Lelouch got an eyeful of the woman who stepped out. She was tall, gray-haired, sporting a slender figure and a pink overcoat atop her Knight's outfit. Lelouch shifted his eyes towards Suzaku, back to her.
"Keep your hands up, young man. I'll take out your identification," she began again, walking towards him with her pistol out.
Now. Lelouch felt his Geass spring to life.
"I want you to escort Suzaku Kururugi to safety and ensure he lives. Leave your Knightmare and passcode behind as well!"
The woman straightened, lifted her face toward Lelouch, and her intense, falcon glare slackened into an indifferent, otherworldly stare. She nodded and fished out her ignition key.
"I understand. The passcode is XG21-G2D4," the woman mumbled, tossing the ignition key to Lelouch. From thence, she strode briskly over to Suzaku, hefting him up and managing to balance his weight on her back, with some relative difficulty. "I will escort him to safety, as you wish."
Lelouch smiled heavily. "Excellent… wait!" He re-activated his Geass, quick on the uptake. "I want you to forget we ever met!"
"I must escort Suzaku Kururugi to safety. Do not interfere."
"I order you to forget we ever met!" Lelouch repeated, turning his voice up a notch.
It was too late – the woman was already running out of the Warehouse and off into the Shinjuku Ghetto, Suzaku in tow. Lelouch slumped against the cold Knightmare, exhausted and irritated. Why the hell didn't my Geass work a second time? She might recognize me by the time the command wears off!
He groaned and settled his gaze on the Knightmare. My God. It's been years since I've even laid eyes on one of these… I still remember how Mother tried to teach me the controls, how it moved, operated. But it's been over eight years since… things might have changed. A lot.
"Mama, I want to be a Knight one day when I grow up! That way I can protect everyone!"
The moment Lelouch sat in the cockpit, memories washed over him once again. His mother had once allowed him to do a practice run in a Knightmare flight simulator, after days and days of begging her to just let him try it for a little bit. It was standard for Britannian royalty to learn how to pilot the star machinery of the Empire, but Lelouch had been classified as too young to be permitted on how to use the weapon system.
It's all hand-based… maybe. Lelouch took a look at the ignition key, saw the words "Villetta Nu" plastered onto the base in red font. Villetta Nu…? Was that her name?
A plan crossed Lelouch's mind, and he smirked.
Lelouch figured out how to move the Sutherland left and right, how to speed up and slow down. Lelouch had managed to deduce that the top left screen was a data chart showcasing the current status of the Knightmare's health – blue meant functional, yellow meant slightly damaged, red meant badly damaged.
It looks like moving the frame requires torsion of the torso… I can lift the rifle up and down…
Lelouch heard the call of distant artillery shots flattening a row of buildings. Damn! No time to waste!
Lelouch rolled out into the wide streets in front of him, putting all his effort into finding someplace better to hide. He snaked through an abandoned business park behind the former, shut-down presidential palace, where he could hear tanks rumbling past him. The groan of bending metal, bullets, and fire filled Lelouch's head; he could see red smoke billowing out of a destroyed apartment complex.
He found a series of towering ruins. Lelouch hugged the walls and waited, immobile, as a series of Sutherlands passed by, his "fellow comrades". Finding a suitable building, a fantastically tall tower from his point of view, Lelouch drove forward into the dark building and worked his way up the staircases; although the lobby was high-ceilinged and expansive, the first and second floors were not so, and Lelouch furiously worked to punch and shoot his way through the floors. When Lelouch finally found a good spot near a window on the ninth floor, he was sweating.
"Trial and error," Lelouch muttered, catching his breath. No wonder they want able-bodied people to pilot these damn things… at least I figured out a few new tricks.
From where he was at, Lelouch had the dual benefit of being well-hidden and well-placed; he could see a great deal of the Shinjuku ruins from this vantage point. Lelouch shifted his focus between the city below him and the built-in Knightmare satellite map. He was on the city's southern outskirts; to the west was a long-shutdown expressway, blockaded by what looked like a cluster of Britannian vehicles. Any other bridges or roadways out of the city were either destroyed or barricaded by Britannian military forces.
This is bad. The Britannian military forces they have are hemmed in here… they probably want to keep the information about the "poison gas" as secret as possible, so calling in for reinforcements might be risky for them. And if they're trapped in here, then… I am, too.
Lelouch rubbed his hair. "This sucks."
Lelouch felt a certain bulge in his breast pocket. Right! The walkie-talkie! Cursing himself for forgetting about it so quickly, so easily, he fished it out of his uniform pocket, and examined the thing. It had been turned off the entire time. Lelouch switched it back on and listened.
"—and the tank crews are wiping us to pieces as well!" A brittle, aggravated voice.
"I'm stuck in here! I'm trying to fight my way out! Tamaki, do you have anyone who can come in for backup?!" A woman's voice.
"Hell no! Ohgi and I are fighting the APC's!"
"Kallen! Can the Glasgow still move?" A different voice this time, older and wizened.
Kallen, hm? So she's still alive.
"It's low, but I'll manage! Let me play decoy! They've got us surrounded, but I can buy time for you to get the people out of here!"
Lelouch set the communicator on the dashboard.
It's my only option. Seeking refuge with the military is way too risky. They could find out who I am… especially if Clovis is the one leading this operation. He'd recognize me in an instant. These rebels are my best way out, but they have to stay alive first…
Lelouch gazed over the ruins of the Shinjuku Ghetto, and almost laughed.
Alright, world. Show me what you're made of.
[*****]
MEDICAL APC
OUTSKIRTS OF SHINJUKU GHETTO
Suzaku opened his eyes.
He breathed heavily, trying to suck in as much breath as possible. Where…? He knew that he was in a bed, and the bed was in a room; some kind of infirmary, based on the beige walls. Lifting his body was out of the question entirely; his bones were heavy, and his chest was incredibly sore. The air was cool, tickling Suzaku's hair slightly. He could hear the rhythmic beep of a cardiac monitor beside him. Though there was a white sheet covering his body, he didn't have to look to know his stomach and back were thoroughly bandaged up.
…I lived.
Suzaku licked his lips; his tongue felt weighty, slow. Snippets of thoughts drifted through his mind.
I lived.
It's cold in this room.
My commander shot me.
I lived.
Lelouch…
I was lied to by my superiors.
My commander shot me.
I lived.
Lelouch, I lived.
And you… are probably dead.
Suzaku felt his breath hitch, tears springing to his eyes. The possibility that he was unable to save Lelouch hollowed him out, and he realized just how exhausted he was. It always came upon him like this, when he did something he didn't agree with, or saw something that just didn't sit right with him; today, however, was just a series of mistakes that would haunt him for a long time.
I joined to make a difference. To change Britannia from within.
Suzaku clutched the bedsheet. I haven't changed a single thing. And now, Lelouch is dead…
Lelouch vi Britannia, ever the charmer, always calm and collected, who taught Suzaku you don't need muscle to be strong, taught him how to hold in his anger, who always took time out of his to play games with him or explore a Japanese forest, who managed to keep a cool head despite having some of the saddest, deepest eyes Suzaku had ever seen. Suzaku had once thought to himself, deep down, that Lelouch, the clever one, would live a long life, whereas Suzaku wouldn't last even half as long in the big, hostile world.
"Fate has a way of surprising you, Suzaku."
Suzaku rubbed his temples. Maybe… maybe he made it out. He's always thinking, always planning… maybe he outsmarted his way out of this mess…
When Suzaku lifted his hands off his head, he was vaguely aware that he wasn't alone in the room anymore. The sound of the door closing filled his ears, and he tried to lift his head to see who had invited themselves in. A tall, lanky man with mauve hair, a scientist's coat, and an air of indifference stopped abruptly at the foot of Suzaku's bed; the purple-haired woman behind him, possibly his assistant, was gazing at him with what appeared to be intense concern.
"So, Private Kururugi, you're up," the man spoke, adjusting his glasses. "Lost your chance to go to heaven, huh?"
Suzaku tried to speak but the words seemed to die in his throat. Realizing this, the woman reached to grab a plastic cup and fill it with water, lifting it to his lips. "Please, drink slowly," she muttered. Suzaku drank and drank, amazed how cold and crisp a single glass of tap water could taste.
When you dance with death, everything looks sweeter.
"T… thank you…" he muttered, with a little strength in his voice.
"No need to thank us. There was some woman who came storming through the ghetto, hauling you on her back," the man explained, rubbing his index finger on his chin. "She didn't even bother to answer any questions the soldiers posed to her, just asked to get you a doctor. Once that was done, she just left without a word."
"Who… who was she…?"
"Dunno. Clearly she was a commander of some sort, but that doesn't matter. You're lucky to be alive, Private Kururugi… or maybe you aren't so lucky. Time will tell."
Not really in the mood to philosophize. Suzaku tried to get up, easing himself onto his elbows, but was seized with a stinging pain in his side and back. He fell back down on the bed.
"Are you alright, Private Kururugi?" the woman asked, with a motherly tone to her voice.
"That… hurt," Suzaku replied lamely. "Where…?"
"Still in the Shinjuku Ghetto. With Prince Clovis nearby, this place is safe as can be."
Suzaku gave a small nod, looked back up at them, almost shooting upward. "Is Lelou— hrgh!" Suzaku felt pain boil over in his torso once more, and he promptly collapsed back onto the bed. Years of endurance training, and bullets still hurt like hell…
"Allow me to properly introduce myself," the man began, with an air of ebullience. "My name is Lloyd Asplund; my assistant here is Cecile Croomy."
"We work for the Special Corps," Cecile added in. "Primarily research and engineering."
Suzaku searched their eyes; something about Lloyd's tone was… off.
"Did you… want me for something? If you don't mind my asking," Suzaku said, breathing steadily.
Lloyd scrutinized him for a moment, a frown plastered on his face; once his apparent examination was complete, he went right back to smiling. "Private Kururugi, how much experience do you have in piloting a Knightmare Frame?"
"Flight simulators, basic training… enough to get by, I suppose… why? And besides, that's irrelevant. There's no way an Eleven could be made a Knight, even an Honorary Britannian like me."
Lloyd pulled a keyring out of his pocket; on the end was a Knightmare ignition key. "What if you could?"
Suzaku was too startled to respond.
"Don't be so alarmed, Kururugi," Lloyd said, putting the key back in his coat pocket. "With that scratch of yours, you aren't going anywhere."
"Yes. You won't be able to go back into active duty for a little while, given the seriousness of your wounds," Cecile further explained, a sympathetic smile on her face.
"Then…" Suzaku began.
"Just consider it, Private Kururugi," Lloyd stated. He promptly spun on his heel and began walking out of the room. "Come, Cecile! I want to test some of the specs on the Lancelot!"
"Coming," Cecile said with a sigh; she patted Suzaku's hand lightly. "You'll be alright." She left the room, her tight, graceful walk a far cry from Lloyd's airy, loose way of walking.
There's definitely no way an Eleven can be made a Knight.
Suzaku felt tears.
I'm sorry, Lelouch.
[*****]
SHINJUKU GHETTO
DOWNTOWN DISTRICT
Kallen screamed as she curved a corner.
"Ohgi, get out of here!" she spat into her communicator. "I heard one of the soldiers call in for a train full of replacement Knightmares! They'll be shooting straight through Shinjuku at any moment now!"
"Kallen, what about you?!" Ohgi responded.
"Just retreat! Somewhere, anywhere! I'll play decoy!"
On cue, two Sutherlands came for her. Kallen fired her rightmost Slash Harken as quickly and precisely as she could, managing to knock one of them to the ground. The other began firing at her; Kallen tried to fire her leftmost Harken but the enemy managed to evade it. Cursing, Kallen began evasive action and roared away, hearing bullets from the enemy Sutherland smack the ground behind her.
Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. The mission to steal the chemical weapon from the Britannian military failed miserably, and Kallen could easily see that it would be a matter of time before the payload of toxic gas was retrieved by the Britannian soldiers. Now she and the other resistance members were basically trapped in Shinjuku; Kallen knew Ohgi escaping meant he would have to traverse over several kilometers of open ground between Shinjuku and the cities to the north. It was practically suicide, but there were no better options.
We're going to die here. But no chance in hell we die surrendering.
Kallen muttered a prayer and careered around a corner, ramming through a pile of rubble and debris some Britannian foot soldiers had set up as a barricade.
These damn Britannians are out of control. Good thing they're also awful shots.
The one tailing her, however, might prove to be her undoing. A bright beep sounded from the fuel status terminal; fearing the worst, Kallen glanced up and read the fuel gauge. Red.
"Only 30 minutes left!"
"The West Entrance."
A gravelly voice, harsh and unfamiliar to Kallen, came through her communicator. Who?!
"Use the train tracks to go to the west!"
"Who is this?! How do you know this channel's code?"
"That doesn't matter! Who I am is irrelevant! Follow my lead if you want to win!"
Win…?
Kallen cocked her head, uncertain, but a quick glance at the Sutherlands trailing behind her solidified it: there were no other options. Approaching the tracks, Kallen gave a quick flicker of movement and hopped aboard the train tracks, setting her Landspinners parallel to the rails.
"Hey! What do I do now?!" she said, her eyes wide with shock. It would take the Sutherlands seconds to gain on her. All of a sudden, she saw a train roll down the very tracks she was on.
Crap! Should I move-?!
"Since you put your faith in me, you're gonna win," the voice responded, ever-confident. "Now jump on the train!"
"Yes!" Carefully timing herself, she hopped on top of the train cars and began to move forward; the sudden movement caused the Sutherlands behind her to stop for a moment.
"What fun is it if you run away?!" It was a deep, taunting voice coming from one of the Sutherlands. "It's not much of a hunt now, is it?"'
Go to hell, Brit!
A sudden burst of motion in Kallen's peripheral vision caused her to turn around, see what happened. A Slash Harken had just shot out from the roof of an abandoned building, eliminating one of the two Sutherlands behind her.
That must be him!
"Friendly fire?!" the same voice spoke up, his Knightmare reeling back and pulling out its automatic rifle. "Are you a terrorist?! What's your name and unit, soldier?"
Kallen immediately shifted gears and charged straight for the Sutherland, murder written on her face. Only one instinct drove her: revenge. Realizing the danger, the pilot ejected safely out of the Sutherland, the cockpit shuttle flying far away from the train tracks.
Kallen's ears rang, her nostrils filled with the scent of live fire. I'm alive. I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive.
"You saved me," Kallen whispered into the communicator. "Thank you."
Did he say friendly fire? In that case…
"Wait, how'd you get ahold of the Sutherland?"
No response from the other line. By the time Kallen shifted her gaze toward the roof, her presumed savior was gone.
A double agent?
Kallen radioed Ohgi, giving him a set of coordinates and telling him to meet her near the train. Kallen didn't want to waste any time – Britannian pilots did not give up easily. She felt an immense sense of relief, self-satisfaction, and pride as she made her way to the rendezvous point.
You try so hard to kill us, Britannia. But we're too good for you.
A wind blew across the dusty, deserted streets. By the time Ohgi, Tamaki, Sugiyama, Naomi, and Minami appeared, they were caked in dust, sweat, and blood, but they were otherwise okay. Kallen hopped out of her Knightmare Frame to meet them, overcome by relief.
"Kallen, what was with that radio message from before?" Ohgi began, fishing through his jacket for his communicator.
"What? You heard him too?"
Thought it might have been my guardian angel, reminding this stupid girl she has a life to live.
The radio buzzed to life. "Are you the leader?" It was him again, referring to Ohgi this time. Tamaki looked around crazily, trying to figure out how this guy could see them, yet they couldn't see him.
"Um… yes. Yes, I am," Ohgi confirmed. "Who are—"
"The cargo in that train right there? That's my gift to you for a job well done."
Kallen's eyes widened, remembering the Britannian signal from before. "That's the, the supply train! It should have Knightmares in it!"
Perplexed and ecstatic, Ohgi made haste to open the train cars, Tamaki, Minami, and Naomi following suit. Kallen took Sugiyama's crowbar and pried open a particularly faulty door, not wanting to miss such an incredible opportunity. The pleasant sight of fresh-from-the-factory Britannian Sutherlands caught her eye. Kallen almost wanted to shout in relief.
"There's more over here!" Naomi cried, motioning to the easternmost cars. "And here, too! They're all brand-new!"
"Unbelievable! Let's get them out of here," Ohgi breathed, hopping into the train.
All this…? How did he do it?
"Glasgow woman."
It was him, breaking the stillness again. "Yes?"
"I noticed how you were running decoy back there. That was brave of you. I want you to keep doing that, alright? How's your energy filler status?"
"I-I understand, and… it's at about fifteen percent now. Twenty minutes' worth at most."
"Recharge. The Sutherlands are basically Glasgows, they're just easier to produce and have newer guns. So the energy filler should be about the same."
"Thank you," Kallen said. She didn't need to be told twice.
Maybe God is watching over us, for once. Sympathy for the little people.
[*****]
In his cozy yet cramped Sutherland Frame, Lelouch set the communicator down and try to calm himself down.
This is nerve-wracking. I'm going to need to find a voice changer or distorter, if I ever do this again. Regardless, seeing the Britannians fail is always fun. Lelouch said, having vicariously enjoyed watching that Sutherland pilot trying to get Kallen get his just desserts. Lelouch re-checked his radar and various digital readouts.
Those rebels are deep inside Shinjuku now, almost at the center. They're close to a couple of big, strategic avenues… and now the Britannians are regrouping toward the East and trying to figure out a plan.
Lelouch noticed a wide yellow dot that stood from the cluster of blue dots Lelouch had come to recognize as Britannian Knightmares. Is that… wait, could it be?
Lelouch switched on the KnightScope and zoomed in toward where the Britannian soldiers and Knightmares had gathered, in a wide open space safe from No-Man's Land. A single tall convoy, surrounded by smaller APCs, soldiers, and Knightmares.
That has to be Clovis' vehicle. There's no doubt about it.
A new strategy entered Lelouch's mind, and a grin crossed his face.
[*****]
Having finished implementing her new energy filler and buffing out some of the superficial scratches on the Glasgow, Kallen hopped back into the cockpit and re-adjusted herself. Tamaki and Ohgi were chattering over the radio. The voice had not spoken for about ten minutes now.
"—you sure 'bout this, Ohgi? This could be an enemy trap. Their I. have been taken away from these things."
"They have the advantage in this battle! Why would they need to set traps?" Ohgi responded. He was loading into his Sutherland.
"Do you like it, Ohgi?" Kallen spoke up, relaxing into her leather seat. "I mean, the fundamentals of the Sutherland are basically the same as the Glasgows we've been using."
"Not bad. Cockpit feels cramped, but I—"
"Everyone. I have new orders." The mysterious voice, once again.
Kallen, unsure if she should asked for details, was about to speak, but Ohgi spoke for her. "I'm sorry, but who are you? At least tell us your name."
"What if these signals are tapped? Anyway, I want you all to get to your assigned points. Sutherlands will start approaching in about fifty-eight seconds, give or take."
That shook most of them into action. Ohgi was calling for the mobile and tank cavalry groups to come and join them, providing backup. Kallen grabbed the controls and began to move out, following the coordinates the man had told her to follow. He hadn't led them astray so far; for what reason would he do so now?
"Could you at least give us a codename or something?" Tamaki spat over the radio.
"…You may all refer to me as Zero," he responded. Nobody spoke after that, the tension palpable.
Kallen approached her assigned sector, a zone with no civilians, no fighters, just abandoned buildings and menacing streets, full of downed power lines, smashed glass, doused fires; all sorts of wreckage. This is the frontier. Dangerous ground… I hate this place. Any building could be a sniper position; around the corner? An ambush. Any space could be a killing zone.
Kallen saw the Sutherlands approach some distance off. Nobody dared to speak.
Come on, Ohgi, don't be late…
The enemy Sutherlands burst into a side-street.
"Fire!" Ohgi commanded. The enemy Sutherlands were soon dismantled by a hail of bullets, little bits of fire that tore their Knightmare Frames apart.
"Holy shit, it worked!" Tamaki announced. Kallen almost laughed in triumph.
"Now, move!" Zero ordered. "P-1, P-4, P-7, move to your right, about a hundred or so meters, and fire your Slash Harkens! Q-1, join them!"
Adrenaline roared through Kallen as she sprang back into action. Everyone began moving alongside her. A series of enemy Sutherlands tore in front of them, but they were quick to act; the Slash Harkens made mincemeat of the enemy. Kallen provided cover fire to any Sutherlands who tried to unhelpfully scramble away, mobilized by fear; she also took to helping Naomi destroy the helicopters hovering over the din and unsuccessfully trying to shoot them down. Smoke was pouring out of the enemy Sutherland corpses.
"Yoshida, has your tank squad arrived?!" Kallen said as she vaulted through the air onto a rooftop, taking out a sniper who was stationed there.
"They just came through now!"
"Good!" Zero proclaimed. "Use your ordinance to take out the ground units coming toward the intersecting road! Don't let them interfere with your progress."
As Kallen jumped back down to the street, causing an explosion of rubble beneath her, she watched as the tanks began to open fire, small orange flashes of artillery and ordnance.
"Defeat enough of them, and the enemy will be forced to break their encirclement! They'll try to reinforce the gap with lesser units."
"What's your orders now, Zero?" Ohgi responded. Kallen swept the area with her rifle, Tamaki following suit.
"Q-1," Zero said, referring to Kallen's codename. "You have a map of the area, right?"
"Y-yes! No landmarks – it's an older one."
"It'll do. I want you all to head into the old Metro tunnel, and take a straight line formation underneath the coordinates I'm sending you! Go now!"
They wasted no time in finding the entrance, dropping down into the darkness below; Kallen felt a sudden chill. Everyone quickly identified the point Zero had indicated and hastily began to take formation, everyone preparing their remaining weaponry.
"Okay, what now?!" Tamaki spoke.
"I want you all to turn on your BC signals, adjust them vertically."
Kallen's eyes widened, and her stomach clenched. "What?!"
"That would tell them where we are!" Ohgi responded. "Why?!"
"Sutherland models can't identify a source's exact location if it's underground – it has to head towards the estimated area and guess from there. Turn on your broadcasting signals. That's an order!"
Reluctantly, Kallen pulled the switch and strafed back into formation, preparing her Slash Harkens and counting to ten over and over again in her head, waiting for the enemy to come above ground. After a minute, she could hear the sound of Landspinners above ground, causing some dirt and tiny pieces of rubble to fall.
Wait for it…
Wait…
When…?
"NOW! Q-1! Fire your Harkens at the wall above you!"
Kallen clutched her controls and put her physical all into it; the cables shot forward and dug into the wall. To her shock, it began to collapse in on itself, due to age and decay, and it exploded into rubble, exposing the dark tunnel to the sky above and bringing several Sutherlands down with it.
"Let's take out the stragglers!" Kallen shouted. Not even Zero needed to tell her that.
Everyone followed suit and opened fire on the trapped, unsuspecting enemy Sutherlands. The black tunnel became illuminated with tracer bullets, rockets, red smoke billowing from the Sutherland frames, bright yellow explosions that shook the ground. Kallen used her elbow-mounted shields to hurriedly bash in one of the enemies, Naomi and Minami delivering the final blow. They began to hop back above ground, dividing themselves into units to find any stragglers and take them out quickly.
We can do it! We can save Japan!
Somewhere in the distance, Lelouch was laughing triumphantly.
[*****]
REGAL BRITANNIAN CONVOY
Prince Clovis la Britannia, staring at the digital readout in front of him, was on the verge of a breakdown, unlike his fellow tactical officers and sub-commanders, who were already yelling over each other. His face was ashen and pale, legs quivering, stomach tight. He had the distinct, unique feeling of fighting something incredibly wiser than he.
Who in God's name am I fighting?!
The situation was a Catch-22 by this point. It all started last night, when a frightful General Bartley had nervously informed him that "the girl" had been taken, that it was "Eleven rebels" who took her. Clovis, to his credit, was absolutely terrified, felt the situation had moved too quickly for him to process correctly, wanted to flee and hide. There was no choice but to get him back, but the damn Elevens proved themselves clever, far too clever. To Clovis' advantage, it seemed that only he, Bartley, and a few select others were aware C.C. was hidden inside the gas canister; the public and lower military had no idea.
Fear had obscured his reasoning, and he ordered the purge of the entire Shinjuku Ghetto. If Clovis were to get caught with C.C., that damn immortal witch, his reputation would not only be tarnished, but he'd be easily disowned by his father and V.V. if he was caught. Coupling in the fear that the Japanese rebels might somehow be able to synthesize or even weaponized the damned witch's power, the order to massacre the Ghetto seemed only logical to Clovis.
But then this happened. After a solid hour or two or success against the resistance fighters, just when it seemed like the proper conclusion was near, the rebels came back like an angel of death, and they were wiping out his forces.
They're going to come to me next!
"Prince Clovis, my Lord! Get ahold of yourself," Bartley shouted. Clovis snapped back to reality, and realized he was gripping the armrest of his chair. Clovis unsteadily released his hands, feeling the blood pressure flow back into his hands.
"…What are our other options?" Clovis posed, uncertainly.
"We need to find Cronin's squad!" an officer announced, searching through his PDA.
"They're done for! Both Lazlo and Cronin got crushed by them!" another officer said.
"Can any of our helicopters go and take them out?!"
"They just took out a great deal of them with their Knightmares! We can't risk this!"
I can't risk sending out more units to try and collect C.C.! She might have already escaped, and once they find out there was no poison, someone will put two and two together!
Clovis, feeling ill, stood up. "Do we have no more foot units inside Shinjuku?"
"None, my Lord!" Bartley responded, waving his hands around expressively. "They're either dead or wrapped up in the battle with the enemy Knightmares!"
"That's it. We're cutting our losses! We're leaving!"
Bartley, mortified, turned to Clovis as the other tactical officers protested. "My Lord! But… the gas!"
"That… is not an option, General Bartley!" Clovis said, carefully, trying desperately not to lose his temper. "We'll deal with it later!"
"But if they get ahold of it-"
"I'll devise a plan! I'm returning to my alternative transport! Do not enter my room without my express permission."
Before anyone could protest, or even suck in a breath to speak, Clovis stormed out of the room, nearly flying down the stairs. He was trembling.
God damn it! I should have had more soldiers looking for C.C. before the Knightmare battle even began! That woman who came barging toward our doctors, Villetta or whatever, gave no explanation as to where she came from, or why Private Kururugi was wounded, or anything! She just turned heel and ran off into the Ghetto as if everything was just peachy! No, no, NO!
Clovis stumbled into his secondary convoy, which was largely used as a backup more than anything, but it would provide Clovis the solitude he needed to calm down and begin thinking again. He knew there were some guards watching him closely and standing guard outside, but he didn't care; the dark, lonely convoy was more comforting than any of them could ever be.
I'm the Viceroy of Area 11, god damn it. Father's eyes are always watching me. I have to think!
[*****]
Corporal Marcus Jaxon, Britannian-born and 21, was standing guard outside of Prince Clovis' secondary convoy, at the behest of a startled, barking General Bartley. Jaxon was, suffice it to say, very confused by the turn of events. He'd heard from his comrades out in Shinjuku that they were winning, that the mission was going swimmingly, but then apparently the resistance cell got the upper hand, and now his unshakable superiors were going insane.
It was hard to process all of this, but he was a soldier, and he followed orders. Jaxon knew Lord Prince Clovis would come to his senses soon.
He noticed a single Private walking toward the convoy he was stationed at. There was an odd swagger about him that Jaxon found interesting – most Privates were nervous, jumpy, unwilling to make any sudden or daring moves lest their sergeants bite their head off.
He got closer, and Jaxon raised his rifle.
"What's your name and unit, Private? I guess you didn't hear the orders from up high – Prince Clovis is to be left alone until further notice!"
"I know," he began, with an eerily calm air about him. "Your friend, Private Dario Torres, told me all about that, and he also gave me this nice armor."
"What the hell?!"
The mysterious man removed his helmet, revealing a swath of black hair and a dark glint in his violet eyes.
"Who are you?!"
"Obey my two orders: find and kill Villetta Nu, and let me pass into Prince Clovis' vehicle. I have a long overdue audience with my brother."
Jaxon saw a bird-shaped sigil, clad in red, appear before his eyes, and the world went dark.