Episode 1: The Day a New Demon Was Born
All eyes riveted to the television screen, they watched as the scene opened to a clear blue sky.
Two young boys are shown climbing. One of them turns to speak to the smaller, weaker one, but no words are heard.
Next to Nunnally, Suzaku stiffened at the memory. He hadn't been prepared for it to start with this. Had C.C. seen this? Had she been watching Lelouch, right from the beginning? Was it all part of Charles and Marianne's plan?
"No way!" said Rivalz, leaning forward. "Is that Lelouch and Suzaku? I didn't know they knew each other before Ashford!"
"It makes sense," Milly responded with a shrug—even though she'd already been well-aware that Lelouch and Suzaku had been childhood friends. "Lelouch was pretty quick to welcome Suzaku into the Student Council even though he was an Eleven. And Suzaku was his Knight when he was Emperor, remember."
Rivalz deflated. "Well, now it just seems really obvious…"
Suzaku takes Lelouch's hand and pulls him up.
NARRATOR: The year was August 10 in the year 2010 of the Imperial Calendar. The Holy Britannian Empire had just declared war upon Japan. The far-east island nation had held fast to its neutrality, and now Britannia looms as the world's only superpower. Rights to Japan's underground resources became a hotly disputed issue straining the already deep-rooted diplomatic tensions between the two sides.
Nunnally frowned at the narrator's voice. That's... that's C2's voice.
"We already know this," Kallen said. She frowned, her face twisting, as the screen flashed with images of Britannia's invasion—of Japanese soldiers being gunned down by heavy fire.
"I think it's just setting the stage," Ohgi told her. He was also frowning at the brutal images.
In the deciding battle for the mainland, Britannian forces introduced into combat the humanoid autonomous armored knight known as the Knightmare Frame. The enemy's forces were far greater than anticipated, and the Knightmares obliterated the Japanese line of defense on the mainland with little effort. Japan became a dominion of the Empire. The country was stripped of its freedom, its rights, and its name. Area 11, the defeated and once proud nation of Japan, was rechristened with a mere number.
The former Order of the Black Knights listened to the words with steely eyes. Kallen cast a hateful look at the Britannians sitting in the room with her. She knew that it was over with now, that the Japanese were free again. But that didn't erase the years of discrimination and suffering that her people had lived through… that her mother had lived through..
Suzaku sits outside on a rock, looking utterly defeated. Lelouch stands across from him, rage burning in his eyes.
LELOUCH: I swear… I swear, Suzaku, so help me… I will one day obliterate Britannia!
Tamaki scoffed. "Yeah right! 'Obliterate Britannia,' my ass! He just wanted to rule it!"
Kallen frowned. She didn't believe that. Zero—Lelouch—might have discarded them as nothing more than pawns, but she recognized the righteous anger in his voice. He had truly wanted to rip the country apart from the ground up. She understood the truth of what he had been trying to accomplish. But did it justify all of the innocent lives he had stolen in his crusade? She didn't know.
"Lelouch wanted to destroy Britannia?" Rivalz asked, shaking his head. "Why? He was a Britannian! He was a prince!"
"An exiled prince," said Milly softly.
"Huh?"
She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the memory of that boy standing over his sister's hospital bed. "Nothing. It'll probably be talked about soon."
STAGE 1: THE DAY A NEW DEMON WAS BORN
"Hmph," Cornelia said, as the title card played across the screen. "That's certainly appropriate."
7 YEARS AFTER THE WAR (2017 a.t.b.)
In the Tokyo settlement, an aircraft is following after a truck.
BRITANNIAN POLICE #1: This is Alpha-3! Target is traveling from Delta-12 toward Delta-14, at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour!
BRITANNIAN POLICE #2: CCP to all mobile units. Declaring a Code 3 from floor 5 to floor 2. All units, take 2-8-8. I want the target intact!
Inside a room where two men are playing chest, a television is turned onto the news, broadcasting footage of a smoking building.
TV NEWSCASTER: Here's video footage of yesterday's terrorist bombings in Osaka. The secretary reported 59 casualties in this incident: 8 Britannians, and 51 others …
Tamaki frowned. "Was that us?"
Minami shrugged. "Probably."
The timer for the chess match goes off. Man #3 looks up from the board, looking panicked.
MAN #1: You're out of time. From here on you'll make your moves every 20 seconds.
MAN #2: Very well, I'm game.
The door opens. Man #3 turns around.
MAN #2: Hm? Did your substitute arrive?
MAN #3 steps out of his chair as two boys enter.
Recognizing the two figures in the doorway, Milly turned to Rivalz. "Were you two gambling again?"
"Not me!" he quickly defended, waving his hands in front of him frantically. "It was all Lelouch, I was just tagging along!"
She raised an eyebrow. "And reaping the benefits of his winnings?"
Rivalz winced. "Er… maybe?" he admitted sheepishly.
MAN #3: Thank heaven! I'm saved! Are things going well at school?
MAN #2: What have we here? Schoolboys?
LELOUCH: Hmph. Well, look at this, a nobleman.
MAN #2: I envy you kids today. You have so much time on your hands. Time for regrets… What's your name?
LELOUCH: Lelouch… Lamperouge.
Rivalz steps up behind his friend and leans over to look at the chessboard.
RIVALZ: Whoa! Now wait a minute! You can't win this one. It's impossible, right?
Schneizel looked carefully at the where the pieces were placed on the board. "Checkmate in four," he declared.
Cornelia looked at the board. "The noble?"
"No," he replied, "Lelouch."
She frowned at the screen. "I don't see it."
"Yes, well, that's why I always beat you."
She glared.
LELOUCH: Rivalz, when do you think we would have to leave in order to make our next class?
RIVALZ: Ah… twenty minutes if we bust our hump.
LELOUCH: Then be sure that you drive safely on the way back.
RIVALZ: Huh?!
LELOUCH: I'll need nine minutes.
Lelouch takes Man #3's place in the chair.
LELOUCH: By the way, about yesterday?
MAN #3: Understood, sir. We'll discuss it later.
MAN #2: Nine minutes? You only have twenty seconds per move.
King to G6, Schneizel thought.
Lelouch lifts his black king from the board.
Schneizel smirked.
LELOUCH: Enough time.
MAN #2: Hm? You start with the king?
The man laughs incredulously. Lelouch smiles.
The scene changes to Ashford Academy. Shirley, Milly, and Nina are outside eating lunch.
The former students of Ashford froze when Shirley appeared on the screen. A heavy sadness filled their hearts to see their friend again.
MILLY: Where's Lelouch?
SHIRLEY: He went somewhere with Rivalz.
MILLY: What! Maybe it's poker this time?
SHIRLEY: They seem to forget that they're on the student council! They're off gambling for money! Lulu may be smart, yet he wastes his brain on stupid things! If only he'd apply himself in school, he'd get high grades!
Tamaki laughed. "She calls him Lulu? The Demon of Britannia?"
Kallen smiled, though it was tinged with sadness. "She did. Probably the only one who could've ever gotten away with it."
"She looks so alive," Nina whispered, her eyes locked on the vibrant girl on the screen.
Milly smiled. "She was," she whispered.
Kallen looked over at the three Ashford students, and she longed to go over there and join them. To share in their grief, and their memories. But she couldn't. Lelouch's death had begun to put an end to the separation between their two nations, but Kallen still felt out of place; like she was stuck with one foot planted on either side of a line.
Kallen Kouzuki. Kallen Stadtfeld. She would never fully be either of them.
MILLY (mockingly): 'Oh, I wish my darling Lulu would be a serious young man!' How adorable is that?
SHIRLEY looks away, embarrassed.
SHIRLEY: Please, madam president…
Kallen and Nagata are driving down the road in the truck seen earlier. Their faces are concealed by hats.
NAGATA: Perfect! After we finally steal this damn thing…!
It's all because Tamaki couldn't stick to Naoto's plan. And now we've got a problem!
The Black Knights stiffened when they heard their fallen comrade's voice. A guilty look flashed over Tamaki's face at Nagata's words, which Ohgi was quick to notice. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"It wasn't your fault."
"But I messed up the plan... "
"You made a mistake," said Ohgi. "You couldn't have known what would happen. And even if the plan had gone like it was supposed to, you don't know it wouldn't have ended the same way."
MAN #2 gapes at the chessboard in horror when he realizes Lelouch won.
RIVALZ: I love playing against the nobility! When they lose. they always pay out of pride. By the way, eight minutes thirty-two seconds is a new record!
Lelouch and Rivalz exit the building. Lelouch is calm, while Rivalz is rushing ahead in excitement.
LELOUCH: He also didn't have much time to move, either. And as opponents go, the nobles are tepid. They're just overprivileged parasites, that's all.
RIVALZ: Well then, why don't you challenge one of the Elevens? They're nothing like us Britannians…
Rivalz laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Uh, sorry…"
Ohgi waved the apology away. "You're fine, kid. We didn't exactly have a high opinion of any of you Britannians, either."
Rivalz turns around in surprise when they reach outside. People are hovering around a news broadcast, chattering loudly.
MAN: What are they trying to prove by killing innocent people?
WOMAN: Those Elevens terrify me!
Ohgi sighed, sharing a glance with Kallen who also looked uncomfortable. He didn't regret one second of fighting against Britannia—none of them did—but sometimes it had been easy to forget that not all Britannians were responsible for their plight. Some were civilians, ordinary people simply living their lives—and they had gotten caught in the crossfire of a fight they had no part in.
TV BROADCAST: We apologize for the delay. Now, His Royal Highness Prince Clovis, third prince of Britannia, will address the nation.
On the broadcast, Prince Clovis appears on the screen. Lelouch's eyes narrow, filling with a sudden anger.
Cornelia let out a breath at the sight of her younger brother. Her naïve, often frivolous younger brother, who had done nothing to garner Lelouch's rage.
It was Lady Marianne you wanted to avenge, she thought, staring at the image of Lelouch's angry face. It was Father whom had wronged you. Clovis wasn't a part of your grudge. There was no reason to kill him.
In her lap, her hands curled into tight fists. She looked to her left at Schneizel, but his face was like a mask. She felt anger toward him as well—her brother, who had shot her down without hesitation in his pursuit of world domination. Did he care for Clovis at all, she wondered?
She shouldn't be surprised if he didn't. He and Lelouch had always been alike, after all.
CLOVIS: To all my imperial subjects! Including, of course, the many cooperative Elevens who choose to serve the empire of Britannia!
Kallen, also watching from the truck, shakes with rage.
KALLEN: We're not Elevens! We're Japanese!
CLOVIS: Do you not see my pain? My heart was ripped from my chest only to be torn apart! The remnants are filled with rage and sadness! However, as ruler of Area 11, I will not tolerate terrorism of any kind! Because the battle we fight is a righteous one, a virtuous battle to protect the well-being of one and all!
Always so melodramatic, the ex-Viceroy thought, rolling her eyes. Honestly, Clovis.
CLOVIS: Now then, everyone! I would like you to join me in observance of the eight who died for justice, in the line of duty.
TV BROADCAST: A moment of silence, please.
Boarding his bike, Rivalz turns to Lelouch.
RIVALZ: Well, aren't you gonna join in?
LELOUCH: Aren't you?
RIVALZ: Heh… It's sort of embarrassing.
LELOUCH: And I agree with you. Besides, spilling tears over those people won't bring them back to life now, will it.
Many people in the crowd clenched their fists at this. It wasn't anything that wasn't true, but coming from the boy who would soon be the Demon Emperor, it just sounded callous.
And Euphie? Suzaku wondered. Shirley? Did you cry for them, Lelouch?
RIVALZ: Dang! That's dark, buddy.
LELOUCH: It's all about self-satisfaction. (turns around to look at the broadcast of Clovis) Doesn't matter how hard you try, you can't do it. There's no way you can change the world.
Many people in the room wore incredulous faces.
"Never thought I'd hear something like that from him," said Ohgi quietly.
"He told me the same thing once," Kallen replied with a frown. "It was right after we formed the Black Knights. I suspected him of being Zero, and he told me all about how the Britannians could never be stopped and there was no point in trying." She shook her head. "I realize now he was just trying to throw me off so I wouldn't suspect him."
"But why?" Tamaki exclaimed, frustrated. "Why throw you off? Why didn't he just trust us and tell us his identity? If we'd known who he was, then maybe—"
"You know why he didn't tell us who he was," Ohgi scowled. "He never trusted us, because he never cared. We were only pieces on a chessboard to him. That was even what he called us, remember?"
Tamaki lowered his head. "I know," he said. "But… I still don't want to believe it."
Kallen bit her lip in an effort not to speak up. She wanted to contradict Ohgi's words, but nothing he'd said had actually been false. Lelouch might have been fighting for their cause the whole time, but he had treated them like chess pieces. Easily discarded.
You discarded him first, she reminded herself. How did you expect him to respond?
The camera turns off. Prince Clovis descends the stairs.
WOMAN: You were magnificent, Your Highness! One would never guess that you were attending a party while doing that!
CLOVIS: After all, the viceroy is the marquee actor of Area 11. I need to change costumes quickly.
WOMAN: My! You're so self-confident!
CLOVIS: It's all in the performance. Since the media want a charismatic prince, I give them one.
MAN: Untrue! Prince Clovis, our key purpose in life is to support and assist your reign in any way we can!
Observing from around a corner, Diethard watches with disapproving eyes.
The Black Knights frowned at Diethard, having mixed feelings about the man. He had been useful in promoting their cause, in making sure the world knew that Zero was out there and fighting. But he had never cared for their cause. The rest of the Black Knights had had to be persuaded to turn against their leader, but Diethard had joined with Schneizel the moment it seemed like he would be the winning side.
"Diethard was useful," said Ohgi. "It was a shame he died."
"Useful, I'll give him," Kallen responded. "But he was never loyal. I certainly won't cry over him."
DIETHARD (under his breath): His reign is a pathetic sham…
Cornelia glared at the screen. "Traitorous fool," she muttered.
"Come now, sister," said Schneizel. "You must admit that he has a point. Clovis was never suited for a throne, even one as small as the one over Area Eleven."
Cornelia wanted to argue, but she knew that he was right. Clovis had never had the deposition required to lead—and he had never desired it, either. It had been the Emperor who had given him the position.
Still, he was family. She was obliged to come to his defense.
A soldier rushes passed him urgently, up to Clovis.
BARTLEY: Y-Your Highness!
DIETHARD: Hm? A soldier?
CLOVIS (to the soldier): God, how boorish of you!
BARTLEY: I beg your pardon, Your Highness. My Lord…
DIETHARD: Not another appearance for him! Hope it's not as dreary…
Diethard turns to leave, but an exclamation from the prince catches his attention.
CLOVIS: You fool!
BARTLEY: The police were informed that it's medical equipment, that's all. If we scramble the army there'll be a record…
CLOVIS: Deploy the Royal Guard! The Knightmares as well!
Cornelia frowned at Clovis' obvious distress. "What was it?"
"It was poison gas," Kallen answered, who had only just figured out what day this was meant to be. It's the day I first spoke to Zero. "It was being weaponized, so we broke in and stole it. The plan was to get out with it without being seen, but someone noticed us."
Poison gas, Suzaku thought as the realization struck him. So this is that day.
"Poison gas?" the Second Princess questioned. "Why would Clovis be weaponizing poison gas?"
"Why else?" Kallen responded. "To wipe us out if we ever got out of control!"
"You have the wrong picture of my brother. He's not one for meaningless slaughter."
"Tell that to the people of Shinjuku Ghetto," Kallen snapped back angrily. "Oh, wait. You can't, because Clovis ordered them killed!"
The two of them glared at each other, but Cornelia didn't respond. Eventually, she looked back to the screen, forcing Kallen to drop her gaze as well.
BRITANNIAN ARMY: Alert 1! Alert 1!
Villeta and Jeremiah both board their Knightmares and prepare to deploy.
BRITANNIAN ARMY: 4th, 7th, and 8th rapid reaction companies, as well as the 31st air assault team, immediate scramble! Special Division 9, stand by for deployment!
Lelouch and Rivalz are speeding down the street. Lelouch is reading a book as they do.
Nunnally smiled fondly at the sight.
RIVALZ: That first move you made…
LELOUCH: Hm?
RIVALZ: Why'd you start with the king?
LELOUCH: If the king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?
Schneizel started at the familiar words, recited verbatim from his memory. He remembered them well, from the Vermilion Forbidden City. Sitting across from Zero, a chessboard between them as he had lifted his king for the first move.
"It's your king."
"If the king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?"
When they were children, Lelouch had always started with the king. Before their chess match, Schneizel had already suspected that Zero's identity was Lelouch. But it hadn't been until that opening move that he had actually known.
"Isn't that the same thing he said to Prince Schneizel at the Vermilion?" Tamaki asked.
"It is," said Kallen with a frown. The king always leads, huh? But that's not always true for you, is it? You used us and then you threw us away.
RIVALZ (looking at him in puzzlement): What's with that?
LELOUCH: With what?
RIVALZ: Do you fantasize about running a major corporation?
LELOUCH: No way. Ambitions like that will ruin your health…
"Says the Emperor of Britannia. Unbelievable."
Rivalz frowned. "Was that a lie? You don't think he already planned to…"
Milly shrugged. "Who knows," she said. "We always thought Lelouch was rather lazy. That he never cared enough to apply himself to things. But that was obviously just another mask he was wearing."
A truck rides up right behind them, beeping. Rivalz freaks out, jerking the wheel around.
RIVALZ: Whoa! We're gonna die!
NAGATA: You idiot! Watch where you're going!
KALLEN: No! Not that way!
Nagata turns the wheel sharply. The truck careens off the road, crashing and sending up smoke. Rivalz's bike skids to a halt. He and Lelouch look out at the smoke.
RIVALZ: Uh… Was that our fault?
"Yes," said Kallen. She shook her head. "I can't believe that was you two. I nearly died, you know. Nagata did die."
Rivalz sank back in his chair. "I'm sorry…"
"Don't be," Ohgi told him. He turned to Kallen. "You and I both know it wasn't that kid's fault. Prince Clovis had already deployed the Knightmares. Even if you hadn't crashed, they still would've caught up to you."
She sighed. "You're right. Sorry, Rivalz."
LELOUCH: I don't think so–
Lelouch gasps slightly, his eyes widening when he notices something…
BRITANNIAN POLICE #1: Control, the target has crashed at the abandoned V.O. building construction site.
BRITANNIAN POLICE #2: The military will take over. General Bartley's command.
BRITANNIAN POLICE #3: Him?!
BARTLEY (walking through a hallway): We have to retrieve it at all costs! That thing… in the wrong hands…!
"'That thing'?" Cornelia repeated, shaking her head. "Why is he being so vague? If it's poison gas just say so."
"Unless it's not poison gas," Schneizel said, thinking deeply.
"What? Then what is it?"
"What do you mean not poison gas?" asked Jeremiah. "That's exactly what it was. I read it in the report!"
From the truck that crashed, something begins to glow. Lelouch stares, removing his helmet and visor.
"Definitely not poison gas," Schneizel confirmed.
Jeremiah frowned. "But then… what was he threatening me with when he rescued Kururugi? Was it just a bluff?"
LELOUCH: What the…?
RIVALZ: Oh man, this sucks! Looks like the power line on the bike got cut.
LELOUCH: Yeah… Rivalz, come check this out.
MAN #1: Hey! Over here!
MAN #2: Whoa! Nasty crash!
WOMAN #1: What happened? Some sort of accident?
MAN #3: Probably a drunk driver…
Around the crash site, spectators begin to gather, some of them taking out their phones and taking pictures. Lelouch's eyes narrow in contempt.
Lelouch: All those idiots…!
Rivalz shifted in his seat. A lot of times, he had acted the same as those onlookers on the screen were. Did Lelouch feel the same disgust toward him? Had he only been pretending to like Rivalz?
Lelouch leaves his helmet with the bike, running toward the crashed vehicle.
RIVALZ: Wait!
GIRL: What is it, an accident? Did a car crash?
MAN: Look, the student rescue team has arrived.
LELOUCH (searching for a way inside the truck): Hey! Are you alright?
Kallen frowned. "He was out there that time?"
RIVALZ (pushing his bike down the street by the handlebars): Yeah, yeah, I know it's the right thing to do, but I wish the guy would quit flaunting his pride and just give it a rest for a while. Now we're gonna be late to school!
Inside the truck, the passenger-side airbag is deflating. Nagata is unconscious.
KALLEN: Nagata? Nagata!
Nagata stirs slightly. Lelouch climbs the ladder to look into the truck.
LELOUCH: Can you hear me? Are you okay?
C.C.: It's you… Finally I have found my…
At the sudden mysterious voice, Lelouch looks around, confused.
Nearly everyone in the room frowned.
Nunnally recognized it immediately. C2? What does she want with Big Brother?
"Soooo… the Demon Prince is hearing voices now?" Tamaki asked.
Kallen rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Tamaki. That voice… it sounded familiar…"
LELOUCH: Where…?
From inside, the truck is put into gear.
LELOUCH: Are you in there?
The truck starts driving. With a cry, Lelouch falls into the moving vehicle.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Kallen exclaimed. "No, no way. I refuse to believe he was back there the whole time and I didn't notice!"
"So that's where he went," said Rivalz. "I thought he just up and abandoned me!"
"I remember," Milly said. "You wouldn't stop yelling at him about it the next day. It was actually kind of mean."
"Well if I'd known he'd fallen into a truck full of terrorists, I might've been less harsh!"
LELOUCH: Stop! I'm in here!
RIVALZ (watching from the bridge): So, would you call that a hit and run?
Milly looked at him strangely. "…But no one got hit."
"Yeah, and no one ran," Nina added.
Rivalz threw his hands up. "What is this, pick on Rivalz day?"
"Don't be ridiculous, sweetie." The Ashford heiress patted him on the head. "We do that every day."
Inside the truck, Lelouch searches for a way to climb back out.
LELOUCH: You'd think they'd stick a ladder on the inside, too.
Outside, police helicopters begin to close in on the truck.
BRITANNIAN ARMY: Stop the vehicle!Surrender now and you'll get the chance to defend yourself in court! Stop and surrender at once!
Suzaku held back an incredulous snort. Defend themselves in court. Like the chance you gave me?
The aircraft begins firing, causing the vehicle to swerve to avoid the shots.
BRITANNIAN ARMY: Give up now or we'll shoot to kill!
NAGATA: Now what do we do?! That's the army!
KALLEN (pulls off her cap, revealing her face): Have you forgotten? That's what I'm here for!
"Sooo…" said Rivalz. "Can we talk about the fact that you're apparently an Eleven? And a terrorist?"
The three teenagers from Ashford looked at her. Kallen sank low in her chair, avoiding their eyes.
"I'm Japanese, not an Eleven," she corrected. Rivalz winced, a guilty look passing briefly over his face. "And you all already knew I was a member of the Black Knights. Why else would I be sitting with them?"
"Yes," said Nina. "But why? Why pretend to be a Britannian? Why attend Ashford?"
"I am a Britannian," she said, but the disgusted twist to her lip revealed that it wasn't a declaration she made proudly.
Rivalz frowned. "But you said you were Japanese."
Kallen hesitated. "I… am."
Confusion still showed on their faces. "Huh? But—"
Cornelia rolled her eyes, impatient with the conversation. "Oh, isn't it obvious? She's a half-breed!"
Their faces fell into identical looks of surprise—except for Milly, who looked unphased by the revelation. Kallen's eyes widened, then narrowed, and she turned an angry gaze on the Britannian princess.
"Half-breed? What am I, a dog?"
Cornelia had the grace to look properly apologetic. "I apologize. That was unseemly of me."
Kallen blinked in shock at the apology, but recovered quickly. "Whatever. Just watch yourself, your highness."
At that response, all traces of apology fled Cornelia's expression. Schneizel chuckled quietly at the affronted look on her face.
LELOUCH: If I jump out, I have the choice of breaking my neck or getting shot. I can try to call–
The door to the back of the truck opens. Lelouch falls silent, hiding from sight as Kallen walks by, stripping off her jacket.
KALLEN: Can you enter the subway via the Azabu root?
Kallen shook her head as she watched herself walk right passed where Lelouch was hiding. Seriously, how did I not see him?
NAGATA: Kallen! Let's use it here! Why not?
KALLEN: Because that would mean a blood bath!
Cornelia raised an eyebrow. "Your friend would have released a poison gas on a street filled with innocent people. How is that different from what my brother did?"
Kallen glared. "He wouldn't have actually done it! He was just panicking! And Clovis shot down his own people! That's way worse than anything we've ever done."
"You turned on Lelouch," Jeremiah pointed out. The expression on his face was hateful. "Was he not one of your people?"
The Black Knights shifted in their seats, assaulted by a combination of anger and shame. They knew that Lelouch had been out of his mind, that he'd only been using them. But he had been one of their people. And they had betrayed him. It would be a lie for them to say they never felt guilty—never wondered if they had made the right decision.
"Lelouch betrayed us first," said Tamaki, even as a spark of doubt flickered in his heart. "He used us. He twisted our minds so we would do as he wanted."
Kallen shifted in her seat. She didn't speak.
Jeremiah shook with anger. If he'd been fully human, his face would've been red. "Foolish Eleven! You know nothing! You will still your filthy tongue—"
"Jeremiah," Nunnally interrupted. Her voice wasn't harsh, but there was a hint of an edge to it that caused Jeremiah to fall silent immediately. "Please stop. It pains me as well to hear such words spoken against my brother. But I once believed the same as them. Would you condemn me as you condemn them?"
"Of course not, my lady!" He looked horrified by the mere suggestion. "You had no way of knowing—"
"And neither do they," said Nunnally. "So, please. Judge them by the same standards by which you judge me."
NAGATA: You're right.
Lelouch's eye narrows on Kallen's retreating back.
LELOUCH: I've seen her before.
Kallen shifted slightly at the stares she received.
RIVALZ (outside, looking around): Lelouch, come on! Where are you? We've gotta get to schoool!
BRITANNIAN ARMY #1: Target is moving from the settlement toward the ghetto.
BRITANNIAN ARMY #2: Copy that! Corner 'em!
BRITANNIAN ARMY #1: Roger!
BRITANNIAN ARMY #3: A Slash Harken?!
From the truck, a Knightmare jumps out. The pilot's eyes widen.
BRITANNIAN ARMY #3: A Knightmare!
Lloyd rubbed his hands together as he stared at the screen. "Oh, look at it go!" he said, speaking for the first time since the memory started. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Cecile rolled her eyes.
LELOUCH: Crap! These guys are real terrorists!
Disbelief and amusement rippled through the room as they watched the future terrorist freak out at the situation he had landed himself in. He really had been just a kid once, hadn't he?
Little brother, Schneizel thought, his lips twitching down slightly as he observed the real panic on Lelouch's face. You really had no idea what you were getting into, did you?
Behind his mask, Suzaku frowned at the screen. Since learning Lelouch was Zero, he had come to believe that Lelouch's involvement that day must have been planned—that he must've been working toward the same goal as the terrorists. But this was revealing to him that it wasn't so; him stumbling into the line of fire had truly been just an accident.
Soon after this incident, Zero made his first appearance. Lelouch became a terrorist. But in this moment, when they had met up again, Lelouch truly had been just a schoolboy, tangled up in something he hadn't meant to be a part of.
KALLEN: You fellas know full well what this badass mother can do!
"Yes," said Lloyd, "but that's a Glasglow you're piloting, dear. Sutherlands are much more efficient."
"I was fighting against helicopters," Kallen pointed out. "It would've taken them out easily." If only the other Knightmares hadn't shown up. Nagata would've made it out…
The Knightmare swerves shots, taking down two helicopters with a Slash Harken. Jeremiah flies forward to take their places. He drops from the aircraft inside his Knightmare.
Jeremiah made a pained face when he saw himself on screen. Completely human, his body undamaged…
JEREMIAH: The rest of you, back off. I'll take this guy. I can only assume you dug that obsolete relic out of some scrap heap. An over the hill Glasgow is no match for a Sutherland! Not to mention a filthy Eleven who spurns the compassion of our glorious Emperor!
Jeremiah winced at his own words, while the Black Knights glared at him.
Jeremiah fires at Kallen. She struggles to stay upright.
NAGATA: Kallen, we should both split up! Both of us can't risk being killed! Run for it!
Kallen winced, her guilt like a lead ball in her stomach. Ohgi glanced at her, and he placed his hand over hers. "It wasn't your fault."
"I shouldn't have left him…"
"If you'd stayed," said Ohgi, "you would've both died. You did all you could."
KALLEN: But…!
Inside her Knightmare, Villeta speeds up a building to cut off Nagato's route.
VILLETA: Simpleminded Eleven.
Kallen frowned and shot Ohgi a look. Ohgi winced.
"She's different now!" he defended his fiancé.
The mechanisms on Kallen's Knightmare are jammed. She desperately pushes at the controls.
KALLEN: No way…! It's stuck…!
Lloyd smirked. "What do you expect when you're piloting a rusty Glasglow?"
Kallen huffed.
JEREMIAH: Secondhand junk! I will admit! I really like your spirit. However…!
Jeremiah lands a hit with his Knightmare. Kallen's Knightmare skids backwards.
The Black Knights winced, all of them stiff in their seats. They knew Kallen made it out of this, of course, but it was still tense to watch. They also knew that this was the mission where they lost Nagata, and they felt dread as they waited for his last moments to be revealed.
Back inside the truck, Lelouch is crouched down, his cell phone flipped open.
LELOUCH: No cell phone reception. We're out of range. Judging from the darkness and road surface, we must be driving along the old subway lines. They're heading for an exit somewhere in the ghetto. Getting out would be dangerous. Still…
Rivalz eyes widened slightly at the deduction. "That's smart."
"You're surprised?" Milly questioned. "You know how clever Lelouch was. That's nothing compared to some of the other things we've seen him figure out."
"True," said Rivalz, but he winced at Milly's use of the past tense. Was. Not is. It had been nearly half a year since Lelouch had been killed… but it was still hard to hear him talked about as someone who was gone.
At his side, Lelouch's hand grips a communicator as he works out what to do.
LELOUCH: Okay, I've got it. I'm not big on military but I'll take their protection. If I give them a terrorist communicator… Oh, wait. I forgot…
Suzaku blinked in surprise, along with several others. You were really going to turn to Britannian forces for help? You really did change, Lelouch.
RIVALZ (still pushing his bike down the road): Some friend… Leaving me behind like that!
Sorry, Lelouch, Rivalz thought—even though he knew he had no reason to feel guilty, that Lelouch had probably never actually cared about him. I didn't know.
LLOYD: Ah-ha!
Several people jumped at the sudden appearance of Lloyd's face on the screen. Lloyd cackled.
Lloyd is bent at the waist, peering closely at Bartley.
BARTLEY: What are you doing?
LLOYD: Looking at a man who blundered… Am I right?
BARTLEY: Why, you…!
LLOYD: 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 of their compatriots in addition. Let the terrorists go and you can find their hideout, too. (turning to Cecile behind him) Congratulations! Your reasoning was spot on!
CECILE: It was nothing. I just thought it was strange…
Kallen turned her glare on the two Britannians. Cecile winced.
"Sorry," she said.
"I'm not," said Lloyd, shrugging his shoulders carelessly.
BARTLEY: Okay, that's enough. What is it the Special Corps wants out of this?
LLOYD: I'm merely saying that I'd like to assist with the cleanup!
BARTLEY: To assist?
LLOYD: Correct. Because it's data I want.
CECILE: Excuse me, but what in the world have they just stolen, anyway?
"That's the question, isn't it," Cornelia muttered, a crease between her eyebrows.
Schneizel frowned in deep thought. He knew Clovis had been in charge of a research project known as Code R before his death, and he knew that the project's purpose had been to experiment with Geass. With the notes he'd read on the program's findings, combined with the knowledge that this so-called 'secret weapon' was somehow involved in starting Lelouch on his path of terrorism, it wasn't hard for him to make a fairly certain guess about what the poison gas actually was.
BARTLEY: Chemical weapons. In other words… poison gas.
ROYAL GUARD: The terrorists are hiding in the subway system. Your mission is to locate the weapon that they've stolen. Investigate the old subway system that runs through the Eleven residential district in the Shinjuku Ghetto. 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! If you want to earn the right to carry arms, then show some results! This is your opportunity to show your loyalty to Britannia!
BRITANNIAN ARMY: Yes, my lord!
Kallen was shaking with rage. "Those cowards. Honorary Britannians."
She spat the title out like it was something filthy. Suzaku inwardly flinched.
Inside the truck, Nagata is badly wounded and bleeding heavily.
The Black Knights cringed at the sight of their fallen comrade.
The truck falls into a hole in the floor.
LELOUCH: An accident?! Or else…
As the Britannian forces draw closer, Nagata slams the gas and tries desperately to get away, but the tire is stuck and he's losing strength.
NAGATA: The tire's stuck… Please, Ohgi… Find me…!
Ohgi flinched. I'm sorry, Nagata…
The vehicle begins to admit sparks. Nagata reaches down to flip one of the switches. Lelouch ducks out of view of one of the Britannian soldiers, who now has eyes on the so-called poison gas.
BRITANNIAN ARMY: 4-0-4 has sighted the target.
ROYAL GUARD: Roger. Prepare for recovery.
The soldier spots Lelouch near the device. He gasps, running forward.
"Shit!" Rivalz exclaimed. He bit his nails nervously. "He's been spotted!"
Suzaku held his breath, knowing what came next.
LELOUCH: Now I can use this chance to climb up…
Alerted to a noise behind him, Lelouch spins around. The Britannian soldier kicks him, sending him to the ground. Lelouch groans.
LELOUCH: Are you Britannian…?
The soldier grabs onto Lelouch's throat, halting his words.
SUZAKU: That's enough mindless murder!
Everyone's eyes were riveted to the screen. Some of them were worried, others just curious. But Nunnally gasped when she heard the voice of the soldier.
"Suzaku?" she exclaimed in surprise. Her eyes instinctively darted to the right, where Zero was sitting, before she forced them away.
LELOUCH: Wait! I'm not one of…!
SUZAKU: Planning to use poison gas! Don't play dumb with me!
"He's not, actually," said Minami. "He really has no idea what's going on. Ironically enough."
Suzaku winced. Well, I know that now. Though it's still unbelievable that he managed to stumble into the middle of a terrorist attack on accident…
LELOUCH: Get off me…!
Lelouch kicks out at the soldier. The soldier jumps back, out of his range.
LELOUCH: I'm not here by choice. And if that's poison gas, it was made in Britannia, wasn't it?!
SUZAKU (gasping as Lelouch gets to his feet): My god…
LELOUCH: Mindless murder? (he walks forward a few paces, his voice filling with a sudden rage) Then why don't you just obliterate Britannia!
Many people's eyes widened at the sudden change to his voice, at the anger within it. It was like a switch had been flipped.
"I've never seen Lelouch get that angry before," Rivalz whispered.
"He was always that angry," said Milly. She watched the screen sadly. "He just never let any of us see it."
SUZAKU: Lelouch?
The anger falls from Lelouch's face at the familiar voice, leaving him looking dumbfounded. The soldier removes his helmet, smiling.
Most of them already knew who it was, due to Nunnally's exclamation. Suzaku watched the scene carefully, his eyes glued to the memory playing out before his eyes.
SUZAKU: It's me, Suzaku.
Lelouch gasps in shock. His eyes glimmer with emotion as he remembers: Suzaku, holding out a hand… Suzaku, sitting defeated on a rock.
Suzaku's chest felt tight. He closed his eyes briefly, breathing through it. It had been much easier to convince himself that Lelouch never cared… but watching this, it was clear how effected his friend had been to see him again.
Lelouch: You… you became a Britannian soldier?
SUZAKU (accusingly): Yeah, and what about you? You're a…
LELOUCH (angrily): What are you saying?!
Suzaku winced at the accusation in his own voice. When he had seen Lelouch with the stolen weapon, he had immediately assumed he was with the terrorists. Lelouch's angry response made a lot more sense now.
The device between them glows, beginning to open. Suzaku doesn't hesitate: he clamps his hand over Lelouch's nose and mouth, tackling him to the floor.
The viewers blinked in surprise at the quick tackle—at how quickly Suzaku had jumped into action to save Lelouch's life.
Nunnally reached below the table, giving Zero's gloved hand a soft squeeze. "Thank you," she whispered.
"It wasn't actually poison gas," he whispered back. "It would've been fine."
"But you didn't know that," said Nunnally. "You didn't even pause."
Suzaku shrugged. "It's how I was trained."
The device opens up. Inside isn't poison gas; it's a green-haired girl, bound and gagged. On the ground, Suzaku is still covering Lelouch's face, and the two of them stare up at her in wonder.
"C2?!" Kallen exclaimed.
Schneizel made a satisfied noise. "So I was right."
Cornelia turned on him. "You knew it was her?!"
"I had an inkling," he replied.
She huffed. "You could have said something."
"Where would be the fun in that, little sister?"
"Damn you, we're the same age! You're only a day older! A day, Schneizel!"
Ignoring the bickering siblings on the other side of the long table, Kallen shook her head at the image on the screen. "How the hell did Clovis get ahold of C2?"
Brother's friend, Nunnally thought with a frown. What does she have to do with all this?
SUZAKU: That's not poison gas… What is it?
The green-haired girl opens her eyes. She looks at them.
Kallen has escaped from the fighting. She's holed up in her Knightmare, speaking to Ohgi through comms.
KALLEN: In all the confusion, I left it in the coat.
OHGI: It's okay. The Glassgow's circuits are usable. So, were we right?
KALLEN: Think so. I bet it's poison gas, like Intelligence said.
OHGI: And Nagata?
KALLEN: I don't know. I think he made it underground.
Nagata lays bleeding in the truck, gasping and fighting for breath.
Kallen closed her eyes tightly. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
Lelouch holds C.C. close, removing her blindfold. Suzaku frees her from the straightjacket.
LELOUCH: Tell me the truth, Suzaku. Poison gas? This girl?
SUZAKU: Hey, it's what they told us in the briefing. I swear!
Lights are flipped on. Suzaku spins around with a gasp, and is met with a squad of Britannian forces.
"Shit," said Rivalz.
ROYAL GUARD: Stinking monkey! Being an honorary Britannian will not excuse you!
SUZAKU (running up to the guard): But sir, I was told this was poison gas!
ROYAL GUARD: How dare you question orders!
LELOUCH: This is bad.A poisonous situation which would pose a threat to Suzaku's superiors if it's unleashed.
"No pun intended," Lloyd giggled. "Or was it intended?"
Cecile whacked him on the shoulder. "Lloyd! This is a serious situation!"
The Earl rolled his eyes. "But it already happened. They were both fine, obviously."
"Suzaku was shot," she reminded him. "He nearly died."
"Yes, yes. But he was fine."
ROYAL GUARD: However, in light of your outstanding military achievements I'm going to be lenient.
The captain of the guard pulls out a gun and hands it out for Suzaku to take.
ROYAL GUARD: Private Kururugi, take this and execute the terrorist.
Rivalz eyes widened. "Huh?!"
"But he's not even an Eleven," Nina protested. "Surely they can tell he's Britannian by the school uniform!"
Kallen scowled. "They can tell. They just don't care. Britannia may value their own people more than us Japanese, but they still won't hesitate to shoot them down."
SUZAKU: But he's not a terrorist! He's a civilian who got caught up in all this!
ROYAL GUARD: You insubordinate little…! That's an order. Didn't you swear your loyalty and your life to Britannia?!
Inside the vehicle, Nagata lays dying. There is a picture of him with a woman and a small child hung up on the console.
Jeremiah frowned at the picture. The smallest sliver of guilt went through him, for the part he had played in the young man's death. "Who were they?" he asked.
Kallen blinked in surprise before deciding to answer. "His sister and her daughter. They were his only family." She paused before adding coldly, "They both lived in Shinjuku Ghetto. They both died."
Jeremiah flinched violently.
SUZAKU: Yes, but… but I can't.
Lelouch was shaking with rage. When Suzaku says this, its replaced with pure shock.
Suzaku felt a flash of hurt go through him at the expression. Had Lelouch really believed he would actually shoot him?
ROYAL GUARD: What?
SUZAKU: I won't do it, sir. I won't shoot a civilian. I can't follow your orders, sir.
Kallen was surprised, honestly. Suzaku had always been so adamant about following orders—even the ones that were so blatantly wrong. But then, he had sided with Lelouch in the end, so perhaps she never actually knew him at all. Perhaps Lelouch was the only person he was willing to defy his orders for.
Suzaku turns. He meets his old friend's eyes, his expression loyal and unwavering. The Royal Guard aims the gun at Suzaku's lower back.
ROYAL GUARD: Very well.
He shoots Suzaku. Suzaku's eyes widen.
Nunnally gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. The Black Knights stared with wide eyes, and Rivalz jerked in his seat.
"In the back? Those bastards—!"
Panicked, Lelouch lunges forward.
LELOUCH: Suzaku!
Suzaku falls to the ground.
Nunnally's breaths were loud and shaky next to him. Suzaku reached under the table, placing a hand on her knee. It's okay, he tried to communicate. I'm here. I'm okay.
She placed her hand over his, gripping it tightly. She wished that she could lean into him. She wished that he wasn't wearing that mask, so she could see his face.
Milly was pulling an upset Rivalz back into his seat, shushing him. "It's okay," she was telling him. "He's fine, remember? He survives somehow."
The blue-haired boy blinked back tears. Suzaku felt rather touched. He hadn't known Rivalz had cared so much.
ROYAL GUARD: Well, Britannian schoolboy, not a good day to cut class.
Lelouch stares in wide-eyed shock. The guard turns to address those behind him.
Nunnally winced at the raw pain on her brother's face. It's just like when Mother died, she thought. It must have been awful for him to watch that.
ROYAL GUARD: Collect the girl. After you've secured her, kill the student!
BRITANNIAN ARMY: Yes, my lord!
With his last breath, Nagata reaches out to press the self-destruct button.
NAGATA: Death to… Britannia… Long live Japan!
The truck explodes, with Nagata inside.
Kallen closed her eyes tightly. Ohgi watched the scene with pained eyes, wrapping his arm around her.
At least now I know, she thought. He fought to his very last breath.
BARTLEY: They got away?! And you call yourselves the Royal Guard?!
ROYAL GUARD: Forgive me, my lord! The blast was mainly directed upwards, but the–
BARTLEY: Why the hell do you think I only told you people about this?!
ROYAL GUARD: W- We'll continue the investigation!
Sitting on his throne, Prince Clovis rests his head in his hands as he addresses Bartley.
Clovis: The plan has moved forward to the next phase. If knowledge of her gets out, I'll be disinherited.
Cornelia frowned. "Would he have been?"
"Most likely," Schneizel answered. "You know what Father was like. He was always threatening Clovis with disinheritance, but with a mistake like this one, he might've actually done it."
CLOVIS: Tell them back home we're carrying out a planned urban renewal here.
Clovis stands up, and his expression changes. No longer is it one of mild annoyance—it is one of a prince who stands in a position of utmost authority. He waves his arm dramatically.
CLOVIS: As Clovis, third prince of the empire, I command you! Destroy Shinjuku Ghetto! Leave no one alive!
Kallen snarled at the order. Nunnally gasped softly, shocked that her older brother, who had always been gentle and kind, would do such a thing.
Cornelia winced. "That was hasty of him."
"Indeed," Schneizel agreed. He had no problem with sacrificing innocent lives, if that was what proved to be necessary. But the eradication of Shinjuku Ghetto hadn't been necessary; it was just meaningless slaughter.
Dozens of Knightmares are deployed. They begin wiping out the civilians of Shinjuku Ghetto. A mother clutches her screaming child as she runs; people begin evacuating their homes. The walls are painted with blood.
Many people turned away from the screen. Jeremiah closed his eyes, guilt thick at the back of his throat.
It reminded Schneizel of the Special Administrative Zone of Japan. The blood, the corpses, the panic… and no purpose to any of it. Just meaningless death.
BRITANNINAN ARMY #1: Okay, let's sweep next floor.
BRITANNIAN ARMY #2: The enemy is garbage that can never hope to become even honorary Britannians! Wipe out every last one of them!
JEREMIAH: Naturally.
BRITANNIAN ARMY #3: Supervisor Jeremiah, General Bartley requests that you take command of–
JEREMIAH: Bartley has staff officers. I haven't had this much fun on the front lines in ages!
"Fun?" Kallen spat at him, her eyes burning. "You find the meaningless slaughter of innocent people fun?"
Jeremiah sank down in his seat and didn't say anything. He had been raised to be a Britannian soldier, predisposed to the idea that all Elevens were lesser, were no more than filthy animals. But following orders was one thing. Taking such joy in the slaughter… that was another. His own behavior sickened him.
Clovis watches his forces descend on the citizens of the ghetto. He smiles, amused.
CLOVIS: Hmph.
"Bastard," Kallen hissed.
Cornelia felt chilled by the look on her brother's face—at the ease with which he ordered a slaughter. But even more troubling, was the realization that she had once been the same way.
Lelouch runs with C.C. She falls to the ground.
LELOUCH: What the hell are you?! This chaos is all your fault, isn't it?! (he makes a desperate noise, clutching his face) Not only that, but Britannia has… even killed Suzaku!
Suzaku winced at the raw pain in his friend's voice.
He gasps desperately, mind whirling, seeking a solution. C.C. watches impassively from the floor.
LLOYD: Not there?
CECILE: It looks like he's gone to the front line.
LLOYD: Even though we brought the Lancelot here?
CECILE: Now what'll we do?
LLOYD: We steamrolled our way in here, but we don't have a devicer to use it.
LELOUCH (to C.C.): Stay quiet. Wait here.
Shots are fired nearby as Lelouch sneaks up the stairs, toward the Britannian forces.
ROYAL GUARD: Report.
BRITANNIAN FORCES: We found only Elevens here, sir.
ROYAL GUARD: You're sure of it? That exit comes out here?
BRITANNIAN FORCES: Yes, sir. It matches up with our map of the old city.
Far away, a child cries. Machine gunfire immediately follows it, and Lelouch flinches violently.
Nunnally flinched along with her brother. The Black Knights stared at the screen, at how horrified their former leader looked.
"He looks so affected."
"Of course he is," Kallen snapped at Tamaki. "People are being gunned down feet away from him!"
Tamaki's face tightened. "I just find it surprising, since he ordered the slaughter at the Administrative Zone. He didn't seem to care about innocent people then."
His cell phone rings; Leleouch's eyes widen in panic as the guards turn toward the noise. Lelouch rejects the call without looking at it.
Nunnally held her breath.
On the other side of the call, Shirley blinks down at her phone, then becomes angry.
SHIRLEY: Huh? That jerk! He hung up on me, I can't believe it!
"Shirley?!" Kallen exclaimed.
"That girl," said Milly with a fond smile.
Lelouch is punched in the face and staggers back. C.C.'s eyes widen, but she is stopped by the guns holding her in place.
"His fault," said Rivalz. "He should've silenced his cell phone."
"I highly doubt he expected he'd fall into the truck of a terrorist and find himself surrounded by the Royal Guard, Rivalz."
ROYAL GUARD: What an appropriate location for a terrorist to meet his end.
LELOUCH: You scum…
The corner of Schneizel's mouth twitched slightly, displeased. It would have been in the world's best interest for Lelouch to have died that day. But this was still a Britannian prince they were going to shoot down—a member of the Imperial Family.
Britannia's forces were corrupt. They were too quick and too eager to drop bodies. It was just another example of the way the once-great nation had corroded under his father's rule.
ROYAL GUARD: Still, you did well for a student, but that's to be expected. You're a Britannian. Unfortunately, my clever young friend, you have no future.
The guard points his gun. Lelouch flinches back, turning his face away.
C.C.: He mustn't die!
C.C. flies in front of Lelouch to protect him. She is shot in the forehead, revealing a glowing symbol hidden beneath her hair.
"What the fuck!" Tamaki screeched. "That's impossible! She couldn't have—I saw her! I talked to her! There's no way she died!"
Kallen stared at the screen with wide eyes. She knew that C.C. was immortal. But hearing it was one thing. Actually seeing it left her stunned.
Nunnally stared at the screen with wide eyes. "But… how?"
LELOUCH: You shot her!
C.C. lays on the ground, her hair splayed out around her. Lelouch stares down at her in disbelief.
That's insane. Kallen thought, eyes glued to the green-haired girl. I can't believe she could survive that.
ROYAL GUARD: Our orders were to bring her back alive if possible. Oh well, nothing can be done about it now. We'll tell our superiors that the Royal Guard found the terrorist hideout and killed them all. Regrettably the female hostage had already been tortured to death. What do you think, schoolboy?
The screen pans over to show the rest of the bodies in the room; men, women, and children.
Suzaku winced. He had been a part of that. He hadn't shot anyone, but he hadn't stopped it either. He had believed that following orders was what he had to do, and those orders had been shoot down civilians.
Lelouch reaches out to C.C. His hand is shaking.
LELOUCH: How can this be happening? First Suzaku's killed… And this girl… Now, I'm about to die. Before I've had a chance to do a single thing with my life.
Lelouch stares ahead in horror, his eyes unseeing. In his mind, he sees his sister in her wheelchair, smiling gently.
LELOUCH: It's gone in a heartbeat… Nunnally…!
Tears came to Nunnally's eyes. Oh, Brother!
Rivalz frowned. "What does Lelouch have to do with Empress Nunnally?"
Zero frowned slightly. He had forgotten about the changes the Emperor had made to his former classmates' memories.
"They're siblings, remember?" Milly reminded him. "They would've grown up together before he was banished." She frowned as she thought about it. Her memories were strangely blurry, and the more she thought about it, the more her head hurt. "They had the same mother, they were probably very close."
Across the table, Lloyd raised an eyebrow at her, a knowing smirk on his lips. Milly avoided his gaze. She wasn't sure why she was still bothering to hide the fact that she had known Lelouch before he'd been exiled; they would find out soon anyway.
"Couldn't have been that close, could they?" said Rivalz. "You saw what Lelouch did to her. He locked her up in a bunch of chains."
Nunnally flinched, and Rivalz winced as Milly whacked him hard on the back of the head. "Sorry, Your Majesty."
C.C.'s hand grabs onto his wrist. Lelouch gasps, and then he's falling.
C.C.: You don't want it to end here, do you?
"How the hell did she do that?!" Ohgi exclaimed. "She was just dead!"
"We knew she wasn't," said Kallen.
"Impossible!" Cornelia exclaimed.
Nearly everyone in the room had some variation of astonishment on their faces. Schneizel didn't wear the same look of shock as the rest of them, but even his expression held a faint trace of surprise in it.
"I knew she was a witch!" Tamaki yelled.
Kallen growled, swinging her arm out. "Tamaki, shut up!"
"Ow! Holy hell, why?!"
LELOUCH: What…?
C.C.: You appear to have a reason for living.
LELOUCH: The girl? That's impossible!
C.C.: If I grant you power, could you go on? I propose a deal. In exchange for this power you must agree to make my one wish come true. Accept this contract and you accept its conditions, while living in the world of humans, you will live unlike any other. A different providence, a different time, a different life. The power of the king will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?
"Whoa," said Rivalz, leaning back as a bunch of brightly colored images flashed quickly across the screen. "This is trippy. What's happening?"
"I think he's receiving his Geass," Milly said. "Or he's about to, maybe."
"C2 gave him the Geass power," Ohgi realized.
"So she is a witch," Tamaki whispered. Ohgi refrained from hitting him, because as insane as it sounded, he was actually considering the words. She's not human. There's no way she's human.
Behind his mask, Suzaku focused more on the words than the startling images. The power of kings will condemn you to a life of solitude. Suzaku felt a deep sadness fill him as he thought of his friend, of all that he had sacrificed. But he also felt proud. Lelouch had stood tall against the entire world—and he had won.
CHARLES: A convergence with the Ragnarok connection?
Cornelia's eyes went wide. "Is that—"
The Emperor's back is shown, facing away.
It is," Schneizel confirmed, his expression identical to his sister's. His mind raced.
CHARLES: So the myth is beginning once again?
The Second Prince narrowed his eyes. Myth. What is he talking about?
Lelouch's expression hardens. Previously uncertain, his eyes are now like steel.
LELOUCH: Yes! I hereby accept the terms of your contract!
Covering his right eye, he faces the firing squad.
Geass, the watchers thought.
LELOUCH: Say…how should a Britannian who detests his own country live his life?
ROYAL GUARD: Are you some kind of radical? (his eyes widen)
LELOUCH: What's wrong? Why not shoot? Your opponent is just a schoolboy. Or have you finally realized? The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed.
Suzaku flinched at those words—the same words Lelouch had said to him when they prepared to implement Zero Requiem.
Lelouch removes his hand from his face. In his eye, the Geass activates.
Some people looked away from the screen instinctively.
"Only one eye?" Kallen frowned.
"He only had it in one eye at first," Jeremiah explained. "He awoke the other one later." Though he never did explain to me how it happened.
ROYAL GUARD (the arm holding his gun shaking): What's happening here…?!
LELOUCH: I, Lelouch vi Britannia, command you… (raising his arm outward dramatically) now all of you…die!
Cornelia inhaled sharply. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she vaguely registered the dramatic arm movement as being the same as Clovis' from earlier. It was almost fitting, that the two of them would share their flair for theatrics.
The Geass is cast.
ROYAL GUARD (laughing): Happily, Your Highness!
Smiling maniacally, he and the other guards raise their guns to their heads.
Nunnally closed her eyes, turning away from the screen.
ROYAL GUARD: Fire!
They fire their guns. Blood splashes through the air, against Lelouch's face. He watches in shock as they fall to the ground.
Everyone stared in shock at what the Geass could do—at the murders Lelouch had so easily committed. They all knew the basics of how the Geass worked, of course, but to see it's true power up close was horrifying.
They didn't just kill themselves, Kallen thought with horror. They were happy to do it. The Geass made them want to.
Schneizel's hand twitched against the table as he watched it, feeling vaguely sick. He knew the feeling too well. Of his mind being twisted, made to obey. Even now, he could feel the press of the Geass on his mind, the command that was still present, even after the caster's death. You will serve Zero.
"That's sick," said Rivalz, his face twisted. "That's… that's so sick."
Ohgi wore a similar look. It was true that the men were Britannian soldiers, and that they no doubt deserved the deaths that had been given them. It wasn't so much the deaths of the men that horrified him, but rather, the method with which it had been done. At their core, a human's most primal instinct was survival; how strong must the Geass be to override that?
"So he was ruthless right from the beginning," said Cornelia, her teeth clenched. Tell me, Lelouch. Did you shoot down Euphie just as easily?
LELOUCH: That was the turning point. Since that day, I've lived a lie. The lie of living. My name too was a lie. My personal history, a lie. Nothing but lies. I was sick to death of a world that couldn't be changed. But even in my lies, I refused to give up in despair. But now this incredible power… it's mine…
LELOUCH: Well, then…
He smiles.
A few people shivered at the sight of that smile. Slowly, the screen faded to black. They sat there silently, processing what they saw.
"And so it begins," Cornelia said, her beautiful face marred by a hateful snarl.
Kallen wrapped her arms around herself. She thought of Zero, standing tall and announcing himself to the world. She thought of him standing at her back, telling her she had to live. She thought of the press of his lips against hers.
"Yeah," she agreed. Her heart was a leaden weight in her chest. "It does."