Code Geass - Back To Zero
Chapter One : My names
Thy are the darkest prince of the chaos's family
Thy are a handsome brother loving his sister
Thy are a mask of void bringing hope
Thy are a fake immortal of endless power
And at the end of your path of hate,
Thy are the God of Madness.
L.L. - 20X9
Lelouch had to restrain his power, it was literary throwing in anticipation, drowning his mind in murderous intent carried through the adrenaline that raced in his body. He narrowed my eyes, in a attempt for himself to calm down. The power obeyed, not reluctant in the slightest and he knew why.
'Once again I would have to thank the witch'. The geass bearer eyed the restrained woman silently resting in my arms and I cursed myself. Seeing the hint of amusement that ran in her eyes, she had 'heard' that. He mumbled incomprehensible words knowing she would get his sorry head for it later, worse, he would feel sad if she didn't.
Such was the nature of their complex relation.
Lelouch quickly shook his head in order to clear my thoughts for he had a situation to deal with.
"What are you doing ! You aren't allowed to touch her !" the not-anymore immortal sighed 'How come over ninety-five percent officers I met got on my nerves at the first sentence ?'
'annoying.' came the reply, both answering and describing her own state in one word. He chuckled at it, attiring the gaze of Suzaku who looked at him confused. The warlock holding a witch titled his head to the side, his purple gaze daring into the pack of soldier before us.
"It's as you see Suzaku, that person" he mentioned C.C with his chin "has likely been used in some kind of experiment and got taken by ignorant terrorists."
"But they told us it was poison gas." the genius couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow, whether it was because of the contrast between his own calm voice and his shocked own one or because of his naivety he couldn't say. The officer also stared at the trio in disbelief.
"Your deductive skills are impressive, so impressive that it's suspicious." Lelouch sighed, felling utterly... bored.
Truly, despite his intelligence he wasn't the actor here... yet. He could take care of those guys but with Suzaku around it would become troublesome to explain what he would have done. The officer gaze switched from Lelouch to Suzaku and he observed with deep interest something on Suzaku uniform.
"Private, you've seen something you shouldn't, but I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself."
Lelouch's heart skipped a beat there, it was exactly how he wished it would happen. The gamble where Suzaku future would be decided was going to happen.
A gamble where his life was his own responsibility, because the rebel yet-to-be wouldn't move an eyebrow to help him there.
Suzaku advanced two step forward before Lelouch who oddly wondered if it was an unconscious reflex in order to protect him. And then the officer left him with two choices, either kill Lelouch or be killed with him.
"I'll never do that ! He's no terrorist !"
At that moment the purple eye of the boy twitched, his Geass flaring into life ready to act. It would be so simple to assure Suzaku survival by telling the officer not to kill him, but it might also delay his plan.
Beside, this was the gamble he wanted Suzaku to take.
'gamble ?'
He nodded, deciding now was not the time to explain my thoughts to the witch.
bang !
Lelouch blinked, a feeling of unease plaguing his heart as he saw Suzaku fall to the down, a bullet in his chest. Was he alive or not ?
Observing him sadly gave him no clue, he couldn't decide if he was alive or death at the moment and his attention was brought back to the officer who smirked.
"A student huh ? How unlucky of you to have skipped school today." The grin that appeared on the future Demon King's face made the officer smirk look like the innocent smile of a newborn baby.
The witch helped him to contain 'it', but when the geass user didn't want to suppress it then her efficiency was null, unless there was direct skin-to-skin contact.
But it wasn't the case, sheets of clothes separated their skins and a faint purple aura began to surround Lelouch, gaining in density as the soldier approached
BOUM !
And then the world exploded.
A bomb exploded somewhere behind him in the truck, shaking the frail foundation of the buildings and sending torrents of rocks and cement upon the two accomplices.
His powerful mind recalled the situation as familiar for one split millisecond before he wisely decided to run, the broken power could probably if not surely save us from the apocalypse but he didn't really wanted to use that dual-edged power to that such an extend.
Lelouch glanced at the hangar, dusty, rusty and ugly as it was. yet this was where he received Geass from C.C for the first time. he fought the urge to roll my eyes, at least the boy had chosen a proper place to pass his own onto the late purple haired girl.
On another note Lelouch wondered how his own self had ran while holding the witch in his arms. Between the Code, some physicals... activities, and his couple of years older body (not counting years while bearing the Code), it was no wonder that himself managed fairly well. Probably his old self thought he was tracked by some monstrosity... the emperor Charles or an army of fan-girls for example, couldn't imagine worse so far...
'The God of Madness perhaps ? I eyed the witch, a five words sentence instead of only one word, proof of her remarkable abilities to recuperate though she did sounded tired. Now about the sense... he didn't think she would bring this again, well he gave her a bad time at that time in the future.
Lelouch glanced at the large entry fully opened, those soldiers were late.
Ratatatatata !
The genius grimaced, why had those bloody corrupted insects to announce their entry with dead bodies.
"You took your time." He said with a trace of annoyance while looking at the bloodied Japaneses, people that wouldn't be saved even this time.
The officer and his men entered, looking at the student with disbelief.
"You look very confident, boy." He said, insisting on the last word. Said boy didn't bother to lose time and flared his Geass to life, barely taking a few seconds to complete his plan.
He was trying to recall the next event with the corpses of soldiers at his feet when his cellphone rang. The caller id was named Shirley.
Lelouch starred at the phone, letting it continue ringing without a care as he was too taken by his thoughts.
Oh yes, he remembered Shirley, mixed feelings threatening to overwhelm him for a few seconds, he felt like drunk and probably staggered.
'Lelouch'
Two purple eyes feel into two gold orbs, glaring at him for a reason he knew all to well.
The ring stopped and the future rebel wondered, was it bad or good that he wasn't used to see people disappear as much as the witch ?
He glanced at the phone one last time, his finger nervously passing over the call button.
The loud entry of a Knightmare chased the idea away from his mind. For an instant the pilot observed the scene behind in his cockpit.
"What is going on here ? Why are the members of special division all death !" He asked me over the external speakers, 'she', he corrected himself as the voice was undoubtedly feminine.
'A woman... A woman riding a knightmare, who was it again ?'
A volley of bullet piercing the wall behind Lelouch interrupted his reflexion.
"Answer !" He sighed in disdain, she was too rash for her own good. Finally he spoke in a tone where she would perceive his faked worry, assuming she wasn't too dense.
"On why those soldiers are death it would be wiser to ask their officer." Lelouch could almost feel the the stare of the woman inside search for the missing officer. Of course she would never find him since he had sent him on an errant just a moment ago, an errant that would have some benefit later on.
"That aside I rescued this wo...girl from terrorists but she is too weak to speak, can you check her condition ?"
The pseudo-student waited a moment, the pilot was likely wondering of what would be the wisest action to take. His presence as a student would surely make her ask some questions but... she would worry about 'the girl' first, terrorists didn't kidnapped someone for no reason, even if the person was a beautiful girl.
Lelouch counted on her doing that deduction and was right. The woman steeped out of her cockpit, a gun in her hand while she kept her eyes on him but not her gun.
The warlock almost smiled in a manner that would have made her very worried, the woman was no other than Villetta, dear future member of the O.S.I. and also his future P.E. teacher.
She didn't aim her gun at him, after all I was still holding C.C with both hands and she couldn't have considered me as very dangerous unarmed and charged.
"Give me your knightmare and forget you saw us."
'Too easy' I couldn't help but thought, glancing at Villetta after she handed me her key I briefly wondered if I shouldn't dispose of her. She had caused me trouble last time around. If I recalled correctly she ended up having an affair with Ohgi, how would probably be forever beyond my comprehension.
I hesitated, then walked past her and entered the cockpit still holding C.C in my arms. I scanned the ground and quickly find what I searched, chess pieces and a transmitter.
Now, it was time to enter the fight again.
I analyzed the tactical map, how gross the graphic seemed compared to the future ones but at least it did the job. I quickly found what I searched, an enemy knightmare desperately trying to shake off its pursuers. Alas it wouldn't be much time till the rebel fall to britannian superior machines.
I turn on the speaker and sent my first order. "West, take the railroad on the west area !" I heard the voice of a very familiar woman and fought to keep myself steeled.
"Who are you ?"
"It matter not, trust me if you want to win !"
"Win ?" asked the pilot shocked. I could picture her disbelieving figure in her Glasgow. Nonetheless she complied and rushed to the west side.
"Hey, what do I do now ?"
I silently readied myself and the aim, if I failed here all the plans would be throw in jeopardy. Two Sutherlands after her, my slash harkens flew through the air, destroying the first one and forcing its pilot to eject. "Since you trusted me I'll bring you victory, jump on the train !"
"Got it."
The second Sutherland turned to me, sending a volley of bullets in my direction for measure, none hitting me.
"Bastard ! Which unit do you come from ?" That voice, I knew it too, it was very familiar. Who was that man ? Who was stupid enough to believe it was an ally who was firing at them ?
I didn't have the time to ponder as I had another proof that redhead are reckless people and that my future Devil's right hand didn't make the adage lie. She threw the Glasgow straight on the Sutherland, the pilot reacted by raising his rifle on it but the red knightmare passed and destroyed the junction of the Sutherland arm. Without losing time the red arm readied itself for another strike.
I saw the cockpit of the pilot eject as I stepped back my own Sutherland into the shadows. The Glasgow turned to where I was last but couldn't see me, while I still could.
"You saved us, but..." And she interrupted herself seeing I wasn't there anymore.
I took a breath knowing the battle was far from over and allowed myself to take a look at C.C condition. That infuriating woman was sleeping with her head resting on my chest, in the middle of a battlefield.
In the end I shrugged, she was tired from her extreme use of Geass. My only wish was that she would wake up when this would be close to be over...
I activated once again the speaker, ready to finish with all this.
"Call me Zero..."
Coordinating, luring, ambushing then backing off. The battle seemed to be a repetition of the same event where every encounter counted as a loss on britannia side.
Lelouch sighed in relief when Clovis broke his formation for a full attack toward... a lure.
"now Q-1."
Multiple floors lower and hundred of meters away, the red Glasgow activated a set of explosives set on pillar.
Then Kallen activated the switch.
BROUMMMMMM !
Above the army of Sutherland had not time to react when the ground was teared apart by the sudden destruction of its foundation.
Machines and men alike were crushed without the slightest chance to escape the earth rage. The gigantic knightmares were annihilated as their footing was destroyed, sending them fall multiple floor lower into natural graves.
A few Knightmares survived the fall, all broken, and then were crushed under never ending blocs of buildings and rocks breaking the all too frail members of the machines as easily as the human bones that followed.
Screams echoing madly on the radio as the 'superior race' was reminded that no human defied the strength of the nature, infantry soldiers soiled the ground with their blood miniature image of the metallic giants that had no more protection than them.
A pilot with skill above average tried to survive by jumping all the way to the roof of a tall building. The building already crumbling provided a little protection to the falling ground alas the soldier hadn't counted on one thing.
Ghetto buildings weren't made as good as in the town...
The roof crackled and the pilot found his Knightmare absorbed in the building by the pressure of gravity and wind, said building straight heading into a regiment of infantry men who could watch as hundred of tons of rock fell upon them.
Killing them instantly.
When all thing seemed to calm down for a second, one Knightmare grabbed one of his teammates whose footing was already meters lower. Pulling with all the power his machine could muster he managed to allow the other to pose his feet on grumbling ground, but ground noneless.
"Th..." The thanks never came out from the saved pilot as a large shadow overcame the two heavy machine. Both men had time, lot of time...
Enough to see their inescapable death as yet another building got closer from the earth, from them.
Two more "lost" signals appeared on the commander room radar, the last two.
In the room a silence of death reigned over the shocked and horrified people who had commanded all those humans to their death.
The screams had ended, the signals stopped becoming the ones they didn't want to see, but still absolute silence was present in the room. There was no more signals because there was no more to lose, there was no words because there was no-one alive to report after this prelude of apocalypse.
Clovis la Britannia could only stare for several moments, his face deformed by an inextinguishable fear. He failed in recovering the girl who was probably under tons of rubbles at the moment, but most of all, he had suffered an overwhelming defeat at the hand of a totally unknown foe suffering the worst losses that britannia had token in Japan.
"Sir..." spoke a soldier at one of the screen, his voice shaken by the horror he'd just witnessed. "The encirclement have been broken on the east, the citizens are escaping by hundred."
Usually they would have called them all rebels but in the circumstance no one noticed the slip-up. The prince of britannia already hearing the laughers of his enemies at his defeat forced himself to calm down, even a little.
"No knightmare in the area right ?" he sighed as officers nodded, without a doubt they would too be demoted after such a defeat and so little results.
"What about our other forces ?" risked one of them. The soldier turned back on the screen, looking at the reports. When he spoke his voice was grim.
"Two tanks survived in the east out of twelve, helicopters had been either destroyed by the buildings or taken down by the rebels, two squadron of infantry tried to engage but were flanked from all side by Knightmares.
"The two tanks are down." commented sinisterly another soldier.
Clovis placed hands hold together before him, a pale imitation of Schneizel gesture. He had little forces there and they had no chance to travel all the way from west to east with the ground being destroyed everywhere. Still, he needed to limit the damage as much as possible, if he accepted defeat now his political standing would be crushed beyond repair.
"Lyold." He intoned in a somber tone.
"Yes my lord ?" Asked the scientific instantly showing on screen, as if he was waiting which was probably the case. His smile still present as if britannia hadn't suffered a terrible loss.
"Can your toy turn the table around ?"
"Please my lord, call it the Lancelot." Replied Lyold as he whirled around the reveal a golden and white Knightmare standing on the background.
"Private Kururugi, your mission is to traverse through the destroyed ghetto and to arrest the running rebels before they escape." announced calmly the voice of Cecile Croomy as the Japanese teen activated the system of the formidable seventh generation Knightmare, the Lancelot.
"Roger, I won't let those murderers escape. There are surely still people to save there."
Yet, as the Lancelot launched, the clock that had been an heirloom of the Japanese fell from his pocket and its pieces scattered on the cockpit floor.
'A bad omen.' Suzaku couldn't help but think, and yet he would have to cheat the odd of bad luck and death. For maybe his efforts would save his friend and that mysterious girl... that's, if they were still alive...
Kallen watched with a profound disbelief the devastated area, it was horrible perhaps, but they had incontestably won against overwhelming odd.
"That guy is truly awesome." she couldn't help but whisper in awe.
"That earthquake was a little exaggerated in my opinion, the whole ghetto is totally ruined. Well, at least we managed to save many citizens." commented Ohgi, obliviously troubled by what had happened in a mere few hours.
"And he sure do his job, we didn't record any loss since he took command." enchained Yoshida not with a great deal of respect for their unknown savior.
"Yeah, I told you we should risk it, that Zero guy is awesome !" All shook their heads at Tamaki statement, who had already forgotten that he had been against following Zero orders at first.
Ohgi sighed, today had been too much for his taste, and yet what they had wiped out of britannia force was beyond his expectations. Britannia had suffered more losses this afternoon than for the whole time his rebellion cell existed, including the time with Naoto.
"P-6, P-7, how is plan A going ?" All were startled by Zero's voice hurriedly coming from the transmitters.
"The explosives are set in both place." answered one of the rebel that had gone under the pseudo of P-6.
"Ready them for thirty-three, no, twenty seconds with three seconds interval. The rest of you stay by group of three and advance as fast as you can."
What could make him so worried ? The assurance that was here before was slightly shaken. In the end it was Kallen who asked the question.
"What is going on Zero ?"
"They're sending their monster, seventh generation Knightmare Lancelot." answered Zero adding even more to their confusion.
"Bah, what can a lone Knightmare do ?" asked Tamaki disdainful, they had just taken out almost a hundred Knightmare, why bother for one ?
"Because with its specs and pilot, it can take all of you down."
The statement made all rebels shut up, save for Kallen.
"Can't we ambush him and take it down ? Running with all those citizens will be difficult." She proposed, not wanting to flee again when they had done so much already.
"No." came the definite answer, leaving no discussion.
BOUM !
The first set of bomb exploded, the second following three seconds after as ordered.
Kallen looked behind, in time to see a white Knightmare landing at the end of their group.
Lancelot proudly stood on the street, his frame seeming totally uninjured even after taking two set of explosives straight in him.
She gritted her teeth, too late to run now. Fight was the only possible alternative.
Twenty meters away the white Knightmares brought out two long blades and took a step.
"I will not let you cause any meaningless death, surrender and you might earn forgiveness from your judges !"
A volley of gunshots answered his ultimatum.