Hi everyone. Thank you for your patience. Before we get things started there is one thing I want to say: thank you for all your support thus far. This is only the second chapter (not including the prologue) and I already have so many followers for this story. Makes me all the more excited to keep writing. One thing I want to point out before we begin is that things may seem somewhat repetitive at first with this and a couple future chapters, but don't worry, I plan to mix things up very soon. Now anyway, let us begin. I do not own Transformers or Code Geass, both franchises belong to Hasbro and Sunrise studios respectively.
Roll Out!
Innocent people were gunned down left and right all throughout the Shinjuku ghetto. It was nothing short of a massacre as Britannian Knightmare frames, primarily Sutherlands, laid waste to the already destroyed city. Men, women, and children, all dubbed Elevens by the oppressive, borderline evil, Empire of Britannia, all laid dead and bleeding on the ground; no one was spared.
Two children, a boy and a girl, laid hidden in a ruined building as they clung to each other as they heard the gunfire outside. They both screamed as the wall in front of them exploded to reveal a Sutherland with its rifle trained on them, ready to gun them down.
"This is what you Elevens deserve!" The Britannian pilot inside gloated almost sadistically as the children closed their eyes and waited for their inevitable end. "Long live Britannia!"
However, right before he opened fire, a dark green SUV drove out from the side and rammed the Sutherland in the side and pushed right through a wall before it fell down and the SUV ran it over, crushing its head. This was the disguised Autobot known as Bulkhead.
The dark green vehicle form drove through another wall and happened to run into another group of Sutherlands that immediately trained their guns on him.
"Scrap!" Bulkhead cursed, fourtnatley, a pair of blue lasers shot down some of the Knightmare frames from the far left side as the vehicle forms of Optimus Prime and Ironhide, a red and blue semi-auto truck and black and red pick-up truck respectively, drove in each with a pair of energon blasters on their vehicles' sides; blasting and ramming down the Sutherlands.
Ordinarily, a simple car would have crashed if it rammed itself into a Knightmare, but these were no ordinary cars. Cybertronian outer metal skin was far stronger and durable than any earth-made metal.
"Thanks guys." Bulkhead told his teammates.
"Next time, think before you charge in." Ironhide scolded slightly.
"Hey, I'm a Wrecker, it's what I do." Bulkhead replied.
"Enough, we need to focus on the situation." Optimus said as he drove off, with Bulkhead and Ironhide right behind him. As they drove, the trio of robots in disguise passed by several bodies of countless innocent people.
Ironhide couldn't help but feel resentment in his spark. "Damn wannabe Decepticons. I'm starting to understand why Arcee and the others wanted to get involved."
"Yeah, this is all kinds of cruel." Bulkhead agreed. "What did these people do to deserve this?!"
"That is why we are here." Optimus told them. He saw all these dead bodies and in his spark he felt a great deal of despair. These were families, children, and Britannia stomped on them like insects. This was no different from Megatron when he plunged Cybertron into the Great War. "We must find our teammates and any possible resistance so that we may push the Britannian forces back."
"Arcee, Bee, Cliff; do you guys read us?" Bulkhead asked on the comns as they continued to drive.
"We read you, loud and clear." Cliffjumper responded before a crash was heard on the other side of the line. "Whoo! Take that you piece of scrap!"
"We just arrived in Shinjiku, were on the westward outer side of the ghetto and moving towards the center." Ironhide informed. "Where are you guys?"
"Cliff and I just passed on old train station near the south end." Arcee informed.
"We just recently spotted a Glasgow which is being piloted by a rebel and were working to find it and see if we can locate any other resistance."
"Where is Bumblebee?" Optimus asked.
"Don't know." Cliff responded. "We lost track of him when the whole mess started. We tried to contact him, but no response."
Optimus immediately contacted the Ark. "Ratchet, do you have a lock on Bumblebee's signal?"
Ark – The Bridge
As Fixit was on communications, Ratchet worked on a console which projected a screen and a two dimensional map of the ghetto where he pinpointed the signals of each of his comrades.
"I have a lock." Ratchet told them. "He's deep within the ghetto, close towards the center. I've tried to contact him but like Cliffjumper said, received no response."
"Communications seem to be functionally normal." Fixit informed. "Perhaps he's under some form of radio appliance…. Compliance…. Silence!"
"Radio silence?" Ironhide questioned. "What he's afraid Britannia hacked us?"
"Highly unlikely." Ratchet dismissed.
"Autobots, proceed towards Bumblebee's location." Optimus directed. "We need to find him as soon as possible."
"Rodger!" All the Autobots said at the same time before ending communications for the moment.
"Why would Bumblebee not respond to any of our hails?" Fixit wondered. "Could something be wrong with his communicator?"
"Either that or he's found himself in a tight spot." Ratchet replied. "I just hope he hasn't gotten himself into any trouble."
Bumblebee couldn't even think of any sort of response, not only to the frequent hails of his teammates, or of the current situation as he was just wrapping his head around it. Here he was in an abandoned warehouse, with a Britannian prince, presumed dead, who openly stated his hatred for his own nation. He wasn't too surprised though by that, prince or not, it wasn't hard to find a reason to hate Britannia. No, what really had Bumblebee silent was what the young prince just did. He simply looked at the soldiers and ordered them to kill themselves, which they did without any hesitation. Bumblebee's own optics even saw something glow in the boy's eye as he did it. Did he have some kind of power? Do other humans have this kind of power? More and more questions popped into his mind and he had no answers to any of them.
Lelouch himself was still trying to wrap his mind around it as well. "I don't understand, what is it you wanted me to do." He thought to himself as he looked at the body of the green-haired girl at his feet. "Why did you give me this bizarre power?"
Before either Lelouch or Bumblebee could do anything, an explosion erupted from the entrance of the warehouse where a Sutherland rolled in.
"Scrap!" Bumblebee thought.
Villetta Nu, the dark-skinned woman who piloted the Knightmare, activated its factsphere sensor to see past all the dust where she saw all the bodies of not only the civilians but the royal guard soldiers as well.
"How could all these Royal Guards be dead?" She questioned to herself. Her screen caught the image of the yellow and black car. "The same car that ambushed Lord Jeremiah?" She noticed the teenage boy standing behind it before her look hardenend.
Villetta accessed her Knightmare's speaker to address Lelouch directly. "What happened here boy!? And why is a Britannian student in a place like this?! Is that your car?!" Lelouch didn't answer. "Are you deaf?! Answer me!" She opened fire with warning shots around him.
"This isn't good." Bumblebee thought to himself. "I could transform and beat it back, but if I did…"
Lelouch activated his Geass. "I order you to come out, at once!"
Villetta looked in disbelief. "Who the hell you think you are to order me?"
"It didn't work?" Bumblebee thought in confusion.
Lelouch seemed to understand however as he deactivated his newly acquired power. "I see, it only works with direct eye contact."
He raised his hands and quickly made up a lie. "My name is Alan Spacer. My father's a duke."
"Nobility?"Villetta questioned.
"Just what is he…?" The confused Autobot wondered what he was doing.
"My ID card's in my breast pocket. After you confirm who I am, I'll request your protection."
She deactivated her Knightmare and pulled out the ignition key before opening it up from the back of the cockpit. Lelouch smirked as he saw her lower herself down via the stirrup, but kept her pistol trained on him.
"Keep your hands up in the air, I'll take out your ID." She said as she began to walk towards him, but it was too late.
"Now then, hand your Knightmare over to me." The red sigil flew from his eye directly into hers. A pair of red rings formed in her eyes as she was under his control.
She lowered her gun. "Understood. The code number is X-G-2-1-G-2-D-4." She tossed him her ignition key.
"Got it." Lelouch caught it.
"Oh, he has to make eye contact for it to work, I get it. Whatever it is." Bumblebee seemed to get it.
Lelouch was about to walk to the Knightmare when he turned around to face the car. Though he couldn't tell, Bumblebee was a bit nervous. Lelouch didn't know who the driver was, but he knew that they saw him use this new power, and how he openly said he was a prince of Britannia. He probably couldn't use it on the driver, as they wouldn't willingly lower down the window so they could willingly allow themselves to be controlled.
"Hey, listen." The former prince began. "I don't know who you are, and I hate to owe anything to anyone, but if you could do me a favor and not tell anyone what happened here. And you did save my life so, thanks. Whoever you are." He walked towards the Sutherland and was about to use the stirrup to get in. "By the way, that's a very nice car."
He got into the Sutherland, started it up, and drove out of the warehouse. Bumblebee happened to follow close behind, not wanting to be around when the woman pilot snapped out of it.
Villetta's vision cleared as she saw that no one was in front of her. The student was gone, as was the car. She looked around to find her Sutherland had vanished as well.
"What the….?"
Bumblebee maintained a safe distance as he kept an eye on Lelouch in his Sutherland driving to find some cover as he contacted his team.
"[Uh… Bumblebee to Team Prime. Does anyone read me?]"
"This is Optimus, we read you Bumblebee."
"Where in Cybertron's name are you?!" Ratchet exclaimed. "We picked up your signal and sent multiple hails but you didn't respond to any of them?!"
"[Yeah… about that…. Just found something you guys should hear.]" Bumblebee said as he replayed a recording over his radio and through the Autobot communications.
"I Lelouch Vi Britnnia Command you! Now all of you… DIE!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa back up!" Cliffjumper replied. "Lelouch Vi Britannia, as in a Prince of Britannia?"
"[Yep.]" Bumblebee confirmed. "[Just saw him]"
"Is he with Clovis?" Arcee questioned.
"[Definitely not.]"
"Hold on a moment." Fixit stated as back at the Ark he accessed the historical databanks and records the ship downloaded from Britannia news reports long beforehand. "It says that Prince Lelouch Vi Britannia, 17th heir to the Royal Britannian throne, was killed seven earth years ago once Japan was invaded."
"Well apparently those reports were slightly exaggerated." Cliffjumper stated.
"Okay, so you found a Britannian prince supposedly dead. What about it?" Ironhide questioned.
"[Well for one thing, he's not with Britannia.]" Bumblebee replied. "[In fact, he said he outright hates it.]" He played another recording.
"Say, how should a Britannian who detests his own country live his life?"
"Well its kinda hard not to hate Britannia." Bulkhead said. "So what does all this have to do with us, Bee?"
"[That's not all.]" Bumblebee began. "[This might sound a little crazy, but he's got some kind of power]"
"Power?" Arcee questioned.
"What do you mean power?" Ratchet questioned as well.
Optimus, who had remained silent throughout this exchange spoke. "Bumblebee, what did you see?"
"[Well, I saw something in his eye glow. He ordered a bunch of soldiers to kill themselves and they did.]"
"What?" Ironhide questioned.
"[Yeah, they even laughed as they did it.]" The yellow scout added.
"Well isn't that morbid?" Cliffjumper spoke.
"[He also stole a Sutherland the same way.]" Bumblebee continued. "[He ordered a pilot to give him her Knightmare, his eye glowed, and she gave it to him.]"
"And he did it just by looking at them?" Ratchet questioned.
"[Yep.]"
"Bumblebee, where is he now?" Optimus asked.
"[I've got my eyes on him, but I'm maintain at least a few clicks away.]"
"Alright, maintain watch. Perhaps we may found a possible ally." Optimus said.
"An ally with a Britannian prince?!" Arcee questioned.
"An ex prince." Cliffjumper corrected.
"But a Britannian prince all the same." Ironhide stated.
"There is still much we don't know." Optimus continued. "For now, Bumblebee continue to follow him. Autobots, converge on Bumblebee's location. If you find any resistance, report immediately. We may have to organize an attack if we are to succeed."
All the Autobots, some reluctantly, agreed on this course of action.
"So are we having a bad day?" Lloyd Asplund enthusiastically asked Suzaku as he regained consciousness. His shirt was gone and the upper half of his body was covered in bandages. Lloyd's assistant, Cecile Croomy, was by his side as well.
"Looks like you missed a chance to go to Heaven, Private Kururugi."
"I did?" Suzaku questioned as he groaned while trying to sit up from the bed of the ambulance he was in. "Where…?"
"Hmm, ah, were still in the Shinjiku ghetto." Lloyd responded. They were in one of the many ambulances close to Clovis' mobile base with two Sutherlands guarding it.
"With Prince Clovis nearby, this is probably the safest place anywhere." Cecile informed as she handed Suzaku a broken pocket watch. "This is what saved your life, Mr. Suzaku."
"Your lucky it was under your protective suit because that was what deflected the bullet." Lloyd added.
"Is it a keepsake?" Cecile asked.
"Yeah… very." Suzaku took the watch and gave it a reminiscing look.
"You Elevens believe gods exist inside of everything, even objects don't you?" Lloyd asked. "I guess this one…"
"Is Lelouch…" Suzaku stopped himself before he spoke again. "What's the latest on the situation?"
"It looks like the poison gas was released." Lloyd answered. "Massive Eleven casualties have been reported."
"They haven't caught the perpetrators yet." Cecile added.
"They haven't, huh? Not yet?" Suzaku thought to himself. He knew that was not poison gas that was stolen. Someone somewhere had obviously lied, and all these casualties, possibly the result of the conflict between the terrorists and soldiers.
"Private Kururugi, how much experience do you have piloting a Knightmare frame?" Lloyd asked with a knowing and eager smile.
Needless to say, Suzaku did not expect a question like that. "Wha… but there's no way an Eleven would be made a knight!"
Lloyd hadn't lost his smile as he held up a gold ignition key. "Well supposing you could."
Suzaku didn't know what to say. Was he seriously being offered a chance to pilot a Knightmare? Though he was no fan of the destruction it was capable of, this could be the chance he needs to get back into Shinjiku and find Lelouch, maybe even that girl he was with. Before he even realized it, the key was in his hand.
"Congratulations!" Lloyd enthusiastically exclaimed. "The only Knightmare of its kind awaits you! Once you take the controls of this big beauty, everything will change! You and your world!"
"Whether you want it to or not."
Bulkhead soared in his vehicle mode as he rammed down a Sutherland and sent it rolling down a hill onto a tank, destroying them both. He drove away to avoid gunfire from another group of Sutherlands, however they were quickly blasted away by Ironhide. On the side of his vehicle mode, two large cannons came out from the doors and opened fire. Large balls of energon shot and exploded, blasting the Sutherlands to bits as he drove through the smoke.
Optimus himself drove in his vehicle form directly toward a squad of at least four Sutherlands and two tanks. He turned and swerved his truck-form as it began to spin in doughnuts before ramming and swerving into the enemy; knocking down and tripping up all the Knightmares as well as bashing down all the tanks in the process.
Another Sutherland was about to open fire on Optimus when a car's reving sound came from the side. It turned around just in time to see Cliffjumper's vehicle form crash through the wall of a destroyed building and tear the Knightmare in half.
"Ah yeah! Mess with the Cliff, you get the horns!"
"Cliffjumper!" Optimus, Ironhide, and Bulkhead drove up to meet with their red comrade. "Where is Arcee?"
"She spotted that Glasgow and is driving up to meet with it and get to our rendezvous with Bee." Cliff replied. "Aparently its also where a bunch of rebels are hiding out to."
"Well ain't that a coincidence." Bulkhead noted.
"Autobots move out! We need to meet up with Bumblebee, Arcee, and these rebels as soon as possible!"
"What about his majesty?" Ironhide asked, referring to Lelouch.
"Depending on his motives, we may very well work with him as well." Optimus replied. "But for now, let us keep this finding a secret until we know more."
"Alright, lets go! Follow me!" Cliffjumper made a doughnut before driving in the direction where Arcee would be with Optimus, Ironhide, and Bulkhead close behind.
A Britannian tank's turret just gunned down a group of civilians before a slash harken from Kallen's one-armed Glasgow tore through it. Inside, Kallen had tears of anguish in her eyes at the sight of this atrocity.
"Those damn Britannians!" She cursed in anger and grief.
"Kallen, can the Glasgow still move?!" Ohgi questioned on the other side, as he and a small group of rebels were barley holding their own near the center of the ghetto.
"Don't worry Ohgi! It's all right I'll decoy them! Get the people out of here! The only ones that'll be captured are those of us in the resistance!"
"I know but were trapped! They got us completely surrounded!"
"Hang on! I'll try and…" Before Kallen could finish, her Glasgow shook as she barley dodged any fire from a Sutherland heading from her left side.
However, before it could fire again, Arcee in her vehicle form drove off the roof of a small building and ramned into the head of the Sutherland, completely decapitating it before skidding to a halt in front of Kallen's Knightmare.
"Follow me!" Arcee exclaimed with the hologram of the motorcycle driver waving its arm for Kallen to follow her.
"Wha… who are you?!" Kallen asked, her voice projected out of the Glasgow.
Arcee was somewhat surprised. From the sound of it, the pilot was actually a young girl, but that could wait. "Doesn't matter! Just come with me if you want to live!"
The blue living motorcycle drove eastward with Kallen following her in the Glasgow. She was actually quite impressed considering this person just took down a Sutherland with only a motorcycle. Maybe they might have a chance of surviving this after all.
Ashford Academy.
Shirley was in a locker room getting changed into her bathing suit, as she was part of the school's swim club. A few of her friends were watching some TV on a laptop while she changed. However she was surprised to hear her phone ring.
Shinjuku Ghetto
Lelouch was still in his stolen Sutherland, with the disguised Bumblebee not far from him, and tried his best to remain hidden when Shirley answered his call.
"Lulu? What in the world have you been doing?! Where are you now? If you keep cutting class, you'll get held back!"
"Are you near a TV?" Lelouch asked.
"A TV?"
"Sorry, but this is important."
"Hang on." Shirley went over to her friends. "Hey, can I change the channel?"
"Huh? To what?"
"The news." Lelouch answered as he typed some data into the Knightmare's database. "Is there anything about Shinjuku?"
"News? Hang on…" Shirley looked at the news report before answering. "There's nothing on. Traffic restrictions."
"Why is it restricted?"
"I don't know, they're not saying." Shirley answered.
"I get it." Lelouch thought to himself. "Once they finish everything off, they'll release news that favors the military." He took notice of some broken toys near the Sutherland's foot, particularly some chess pieces.
"Oh your gambling again, aren't you?" Shirley accused. "I've warned you before more than once how dangerous that is!"
Lelouch bore a humorous smile. "Yep, you caught me. By the way, tell my little sister that I'm gonna be home late tonight. Thanks." He hung up.
Back at Ashford, Shirley was quite miffed that Lulu had hung up on her yet again. "Oooh! Why does he always hang up on me like that?!" She tried to dial back.
"The number you have called is beyond service range."
"Oh darn it! Not this again!"
Lelouch had the map of the ghetto laid out on the screen in his Sutherland. And seeing as how a military officer piloted it, he had all the signals of all the Britannian Knightmares in the ghetto. He could find and locate any possible hostiles with this.
"They need to keep a lid on this information so it'll be hard for them to call in reinforcements." Lelouch spoke to himself, analyzing the situation. "They'll have to make due with the pieces they have on the board, but I'm hemmed in here. It'll be tough to break through by myself, gaining refuge caries its own risk to."
He opened the cockpit to get down and gather those chess pieces. As he set down from the stirrup he saw an explosion above and a flaming helicopter being brought down.
"I want payback for being dragged into your fight, but I can't do it alone." He spoke to himself. He picked up the chess pieces but as he got back up, he happened to turn his head to the right as he looked in surprise to see the same yellow and black car from before.
"Aw bolts, he saw me!" Bumblebee grimaced.
Lelouch's look became serious as he remembered that the supposed driver not only knew his identity as the former prince of Britannia, but also of his newfound power. Maybe, however, he could use that? Perhaps he found himself a possible ally.
"Hey, I'm surprised to see your still here." He walked over and placed his hand on the hood. "Barley any scratches, despite having taken some bullets no doubt. I'm guessing that's no ordinary car your driving, is it?"
Bumblebee didn't answer.
"I'm also assuming that you're probably no fan of Britannia." Lelouch smirked a bit "Well, neither am I. That being said, perhaps we can help each other out."
Arcee just witnessed Kallen take out a helicopter with a slash harken and smirked inward. "She's good." She hummed to herself.
However, a pair of Sutherlands, one of the pilots being Jeremiah appeared behind them.
"It's our Glasgow friend. Oh, and even that cocky motorcycle from before" He mused as he opened fire.
"Scrap!" Arcee cursed as she and Kallen drove off to avoid the bullet shots. She led Kallen down a narrow path with the Sutherlands close behind.
"Arcee to Optimus; I've found the Glasgow rebel, but we've got a pair of Sutherlands hot on our heels!"
"Stand by, were only a few clicks out!" Optimus informed.
At the same time, Kallen saw the Glasgow was running out of power. "Just 30 minutes left!"
Suddenly a voice came in over her radio. "The west entrance!" She couldn't recognize the voice. "Use the tracks to move toward the west entrance!"
"Who's this?! How do you know this code?!" Kallen questioned. What she didn't know was that it was Lelouch, using the communicator he got from the truck he accidentally fell into before, which was how he got dragged into this whole mess.
"That doesn't matter! If you want to win you're just going to have to trust me!"
"To win?"
At the same time, Bumblebee made contact with his teammates as well. "[Arcee! I made contact with Prince Lelouch! I need you to follow that Glasgow! He's giving her instructions!]"
"What?! Bee what are you…?!" Arcee questioned.
"[Trust me! Just do it!]"
Arcee sighed inward, seeing no possible choice, she followed Kallen's Glasgow. The red Knightmare drove toward a set of train tracks before hopping ontop. Arcee followed suit as she drove up a make-shift ramp made from rubble and landed along the side of tracks, moving side-by-side with Kallen.
"Okay, what am I supposed to do now?!" Kallen asked as the Sutherlands were still chasing her and Arcee.
Jeremiah however maintained his smirk. "You pathetic Elevens. If you simply run away, this hunt doesn't have much to offer in the way of sport."
As the chase went on, a train was coming in from the other side of the tracks, right as Lelouch's voice came over on Kallen's radio.
"Since you trusted me, you're going to win. Jump onto the train!"
"Gotcha!" Kallen made her Glasgow jump onto the train as Arcee sped up and revved her motorcycle form so that it skipped up onto the train as well, right behind Kallen as Jeremiah's Sutherland began to halt the train by pushing it back.
"You think you can get away that way? Hmm? If that's your plan…?" Jeremiah then contacted his comrade as he halted the train, right next to a ruined building on their left. "You! Go after the Glasgow!"
"Yes my lord!"
However right as his Sutherland began to jump, it got torn apart by a pair of slash harkens coming from the building on the left, which pushed it back over the tracks.
"What the?!" Jeremiah saw the Sutherland from an opening, the one that just shot down his comrade.
"Shot by friendly fire?" He questioned before speaking directly to the pilot over the speaker. "What's your name and unit!? We're after the one-armed Glas…!"
The Sutherland opened fire with its rifle, causing Jeremiah's own Knightmare to back up as he looked in shock.
"Oh my god! A terrorist!?"
*CRASH!*
Jeremiah couldn't react in time as Bumblebee's vehicle form burst through the same building, driving at high speeds and shooting out like a missile. He rammed right into the Sutherland's side and completely tore through its legs as he landed hard on the tracks and halted, facing the Britannian.
"You!" Jeremiah recognized the car that had knocked him down before, and it made him quite angry. "You son of a…!"
He was about to shoot his rifle at Bumblebee when he was quickly rammed from behind, courtesy of Arcee in her own vehicle form. It knocked the Sutherland back and Kallen was close behind ready to finish it.
Jeremiah knew he couldn't stop them so he activated his cockpit's ejector and bailed out at the last minute as Kallen's Glasgow got off the train.
"You saved me." She breathed in relief, speaking to the voice over the radio. "But how did you get a hold of a Sutherland?" However, she was surprised to find that he was gone. "Where did…?" She gasped as she only now just noticed the yellow and black car.
Arcee rode up towards Bumblebee. "Thanks for the assist, Bee. So, was that his royal highness?"
"[Yep.]" Bumblebee confirmed. "[And he is no fan of Britannia]"
"Hey you!" Kallen's voice came over the Glasgow as she rode it close towards them. She spoke to the supposed driver of the car. "That's two I owe you, thanks."
"Kallen!" Coming up from behind were Ohgi and a small group of armed rebels. "What the hell was that radio message earlier?"
"What? He contacted you to?"
"Yep, and Yoshi and his group ought to be here soon." Ohgi answered. He looked past Kallen and looked in surprise to see several vehicles approaching them.
Cliffjumper, Ironhide, Bulkhead, and Optimus joined bumblebee and Arcee as they maintained their vehicular cover, all of which were now present on the train tracks.
"Hey guys! Glad to see your alright." Bulkhead spoke to the duo.
"That makes two of us" Arcee replied.
"Well, looks like we found some rebels." Cliffjumped noted. "Did you guys do this?"
"[Nah, that was our little prince back from the dead]" Bumblebee communicated in bleeps, while also admitting it was good to speak like that so none of the present rebels could understand him.
"Better find their radio frequency, cause we got company right now." Ironhide notted as Ohgi and his group came up to the vehicle forms of the Autobots.
"Hey you guys." Ohgi said. "Was that radio message one of you?"
"Ohgi!" Kallen spoke through her Glasgow's speaker. "That yellow and black car, it was the one I mentioned before! And it just tore a Sutherland completely in half!"
"Shit! Really?!" One rebel, with short spikey red hair questioned in disbelief.
"Who are you?" Ohgi questioned towards them.
Arcee rode up and spoke. "We don't exist!" She quickly said. "That's all you need to know! We'll help you bring down Britannia, but that's it! You won't see us again after that!"
"What do you mean?" Ohgi asked, talking to what he thought was the woman driving the blue motorcycle. However, a voice spoke over his radio.
"Are you in charge?" This was the voice of Lelouch.
"Uh… yeah."
"I present to you the cargo in that train over there. They're tools for your victory. If you want to win, then follow my orders."
Meanwhile, Optimus contacted Ark over the comns so no one could hear him speak. "Ratchet, Fixit, we have managed to locate the rebels. Prince Lelouch appears to be aiding us as well as."
"What? Optimus are you certain of this?" Ratchet questioned.
"I am." The Autobot leader confirmed. "Fixit, I'll need you to connect our communication lines to the rebels as well as Lelouch who is no doubt using the same frequency."
"I'm on it!" Fixit then accessed the communications systems as he began to sync the Autobot communication signals with that of the rebels.
"Optimus, we still little-to-nothing of Lelouch's story." Ratchet began. "We may say he's against Britannia at the moment but that could change. And what's with this power of his that Bumblebee spoke of?"
"I agree there are many unanswered questions." Optimus replied. "However, if we are to have any hope of saving those living within the ghetto, then communication is paramount! Anything else can wait for the moment."
Ratchet knew what was important right now, protecting the people from Britannia. Maybe they can get some answers from Lelouch himself later, but that may involve revealing themselves to the prince, which he was not comfortable with. But they can cross that bridge when they get to it, first things first.
"It's done!" Fixit announced. "Communication lines are cemented…fermented… connected!"
Shinjuku
Ohgi and his rebels opened the cargo doors for all the train cars, and they could not contain their surprise. There were Sutherlands, more than a dozen total!
"There's more in here to!"
"Here to!"
"Amazing! Maybe we should give this guy a chance!"
Kallen was still in shock. "All of this… but how…?"
Ohgi was about as shocked as Kallen. "Are you the leader of this resistance?" A new voice spoke over the radio, one deeper and more commanding than anything he heard before: the voice of Optimus Prime.
"Yeah I am." He answered. This was a new voice, definitely not the person who stole the Sutherland and helped Kallen. A look of realization crossed his face. "Wait, are you in one of those cars or trucks?!" He turned towards the group of vehicles that drove up towards the train.
"You could say that." The voice of Cliffjumper spoke up.
"Who are you? Are you possibly with the Japan Liberation Front?" Ohgi asked.
"No we're not." Bulkhead's voice answered. "You could say were from out-of-town."
"Listen up soldiers!" Ironhide's voice spoke through the all of the rebel radios, including the one Lelouch was using. "Were syncing our communications with yours to better coordinate; we're gonna help you send these Britannian punks packing!"
Ohgi shared concerned expressions with his comrades in arms, though this was a surprise to them, they could use all the help they could get right now. Considering that now they have Sutherlands, maybe the odds of them wining had just increased.
"Woman in the Glasgow!" Lelouch's voice spoke up.
"Y…Yes!" Kallen answered.
"Stay where you are, you're unit is gonna run decoy. Got it?"
"Understood!"
"Energy filler status?"
"About fifteen minutes worth."
"Then recharge it. In ten minutes, I'll contact you with your next instructions."
Lelouch stayed in his Sutherland as he hid in ruined building, near the top floor. He turned off the radio and sighed a bit.
"This is wearing me out." He spoke to himself. "Regardless, I'll need determination to succeed. After all, I'm betting my life in this game." He held the black king chess piece in his hand when a voice spoke over the radio he had.
"Are you Lelouch Vi Britannia, the 17th heir to the Royal Britannian Imperial throne, presumed deceased?" The voice of Optimus Prime questioned.
Lelouch could not contain his surprise. "How did…?!" He tried to regain his composure. "Are you the one driving that yellow car?"
"No, I am a comrade of his." Optimus answered. "I assure you, I have no intention of informing anyone else of your identity, for at the moment I am your ally. My comrades and I will help you to push Britannia back, but once this is over, perhaps we could have a discussion."
Lelouch thought for a moment. So whoever this person was, he knew his identity, and more than likely also knows about his mysterious power. This could complicate things, but at the same time, maybe he may have found some more allies. However, right now he had to focus on simply making out of this mess alive, so right now he'll accept his help.
"Very well, but if you could keep this a secret?" Lelouch asked.
"Understood. Contact us when you are ready to begin the operation. But before we begin, we need you to provide us with the codes of your Sutherland so we can track the Brtannian Knightmares within the ghetto." Optimus requested.
"Alright. The code is X-G-2-1-G-2-D-4"
"I have it. We'll be ready to begin whenever you are." Optimus cut off communications for the moment.
Prince Clovis' mobile base.
General Bartley and his staff were reporting the situation to their prince. "The terrorists are mixed among the Eleven populace and their mounting a fairly minor resistance against us. But they pose little threat to our vastly superior army."
"We know that, moving on." Clovis urged.
"Understood, your highness." General Bartley replied. "The gas capsules will be…"
"What the public thinks." Clovis interuptied.
"Yes, we'll keep searching for her." The general told him.
Clovis was in a tight spot, but he still could get out of this unscathed if he played the right cards. "Either way, I want her captured dead or alive."
Meanwhile; other resistance fighters have managed to gather together with Ohgi and his band of rebels, along with the disguised Autobots. Several of them had already taken their newly acquired Sutherlands and were ready to mount an assault.
"Ratchet? Are we ready or what?" Ironhide asked.
Back on the Ark, Ratchet had just put in the codes into the Ark's database. The screen in front of him lit up and he had the signals of all the Britannian Knightmares and could identify their locations.
"We have their locations and are ready to proceed." Ratchet responded. "Fixit, how are communications?"
"Still steady." Fixit replied.
"Hey, are you sure about this?" A rebel soldier named Tamaki asked Ohgi as he was in his Sutherland. "They've all had their IFFs removed, what if it's a trap?"
"The other side has total advantage in this war." Ohgi spoke through his Sutherland's speakers. "They don't need to set any traps."
"Are you ready to begin?" Optimus spoke over the radio to Ohgi.
"Yeah we're ready. But are you sure you don't want to use a Sutherland yourself? You guys may be good drivers, but I don't think a few cars and trucks are gonna last long in this."
"We will be fine. You will need those Knightmares more than we will."
Ohgi felt a bit unsure, but there was little time to argue. "Okay, but who are you? At least tell us your name."
"I am sorry but I cannot." Optimus replied. "If you wish to save the lives of those within the ghetto, then we need to work together; that is all you need to know."
He sighed. "Alright."
Optimus' semi-auto truck vehicle mode laid hidden under a ruined building as he contacted Lelouch over the radio. "We are ready to begin."
"Alright, if Q-1 and A-3 are on schedule, then enemy Sutherlands should reach them in twenty three seconds. Shoot them through the wall."
Tamaki looked annoyed. "He's out of his mind!"
"Hey, we're the ones risking our lives as bait here!" Arcee spoke over the radio in a tone that caused Tamaki to wince. "But if you wanna be bait then by all means!"
"Everyone, double check your weapons!" Ohgi ordered his rebels.
"What?! Are you serious?!" Tamaki questioned.
"Just shut up and move if you want to live!" Arcee shouted at him.
Tamaki winced "Okay! Okay! We're moving!" He said in a tone like he were a child being scolded by his mother.
Arcee's vehicle form and Kallen's Glasgow came to a stop just under an enemy helicopter.
"We're in position now." Arcee contacted.
"Enemy spotted at point F-31!" A staff officer informed Clovis as the screen in front illustrated the battle via a radar screen.
"A feint eh? How pedestrian." Clovis mused.
"Tell Lazlo squad to go straight in!" Bartley ordered. "Have Ugin and Vallery strike from the rear!"
"Three, two, one, FIRE!" Ohgi ordered as his Knightmare squad opened fire on the wall, which tore through the two Knightmares coming in from the rear.
"What?!" A Britannian soldier panicked before his Knightmare exploded.
A squad of four Knightmares was about to go straight towards Kallen and Arcee, when out of the rubble next to them, Optimus' vehicle form appeared as he rammed all four of them at once. He ran into them as if they were a straight line, piling ontop of each other as he rode over them and ran them over, crushing the Knightmare's heads underneath his wheels.
All six signals were lost. "Sir Ugin, Sir Vallery, and Lazlo Squad, all lost!"
Clovis lost his smirk. "An ambush?"
Lelouch chuckled. "An ID signal can be a double edged-sword." He said to himself as he held a black knight piece in his hand. "Besides, if these people follow the orders I issue, my task at hand is sure to be completed."
"That ambush worked almost flawlessly." Fixit said in surprise.
"We have access to their Knightmare's signals, so of course we can pinpoint their locations." Ratchet said before accessing his communications. "Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, you have three Knightmares coming in two clicks from your current position."
"Got it, Doc Bot!" Cliffjumper responded.
Bulkhead drove off the roof and let gravity take his truck-body down as it crashed hard onto two Sutherlands, crushing them both, while Cliffjumper drove out from a tunnel and rammed the Sutherland's feet to knock it down.
Lelouch saw this from his Sutherland's screen and looked amused. "Hmm, so these guys know what they're doing. Impressive." He accessed the communications again. "P-1, P-4, P-7; follow the black truck as it lures the enemy into position! Then fire your slash harkens toward three o'clock!"
"You heard em! Do what the voice says!" Ohgi ordered his squad.
"Damn, what else does he want us to do?" Tamaki complained as he got into his Knightmare.
"Get ready! I got em right behind me!" Ironhide exclaimed through the radio.
The black and red truck drove at high speeds as a group of Sutherlands chased him and fired their rifles at him. He avoided all the shots and got into position.
"Fire! NOW!" Ironhide shouted as the friendly Sutherlands shot their Slash harkens and tore apart the Britannian Knightmares.
Bartley was beginning to look nervous, as three more signals were lost.
"The enemy is moving towards G-2-8!" An officer informed.
"Send Lazlo squad.. I mean Globay squad!" Bartley ordered.
Clovis' attention was certainly caught now. "This means… terrorists have our military weaponry?"
Kallen used her slash harken to pull her Glasgow onto a rooftop where she punched down a Sutherland.
Arcee drove fast as she lured two Sutherlands right where she needed them to be. Bumblebee's side-doors opened as his energon blasters shot through the wall in front of him and quickly gunned down the two Knightmares.
"Sir Globay has been ejected! His entire unit has been shot down!"
"Change our codes! They're intercepting our transmissions!" Bartley ordered.
"We already have, sir! Four times!"
"Do it again!"
Clovis stood up, his face raw with anger, but his eyes radiant fear. "This failure is unacceptable!"
Bartley nervously turned toward his prince. "Forgive me."
A screen popped up on the window in front of them where they saw the face of Lloyd Asplund, with an ever-present smile on his face.
"Good afternoon."
"Wha… what is it?! We're in the middle of an operation!" Bartley exclaimed.
"I'd say its time to deploy a certain special weapon I've developed…" Lloyd proposed.
"We've no time for this right now!"
Bulkhead ramned a tank and sent it crashing into a building.
"R-2! Fire harken!" Lelouch moved the black rook piece up.
A slash harken shot down a helicopter.
"O-6, enemy unit twenty meters ahead!" The prince moved up the black bishop piece.
Optimus drove through the pillars of a small building quickly, which destabilized the structure and crushed the entire unit of Sutherlands nearby as Optimus drove out of the dust.
"N-Group, you'll continue your advance!" Lelouch held the black knight piece.
Bumblebee, Arcee, and Cliffjumper led the charge as they sped right toward a group of enemy Knightmares while friendly Sutherlands shot toward the enemy from behind.
"YOU BLOODY ELEVENS!" One Britannian pilot shouted as he and his squad tried to shoot back, but the disguised Autobots had already rammed into the Knightmares, causing them to loose their balance as they were quickly gunned down.
More signals were lost "We just lost the entire Bradlo squad!"
Clovis walked to the group of his staff officers. "So do it! We'll have to bring up Quincy squad!"
"My lord! That will break the encirclement!" Bartley warned.
Lelouch's smile has yet to vanish. "Now then the enemy has only five options…"
Optimus Prime had similar thoughts as well. "They can either call in a full retreat, try to gather what remaining forces they have, fall back and form a defensive line around Clovis, continue to press onward as they are now, or send out some of the units guarding Clovis to aid their offensive forces."
"Reinforce the breach with some of the units guarding me." Clovis ordered. "All we know for certain is that enemy forces are here."
The Knightmares and tanks rolled out further into the ghetto. Jeremiah, who was trying to make his way back to Clovis' mobile base, saw this and looked confused.
"Who ordered them to break formation?"
Ratchet saw the enemy's movement. "Optimus, more forces have broken off from Clovis' guard! They're trying to encircle you and the rebels!"
"Understood. All units move underground! Immediately!"
Lelouch saw his own makeshift army moving as Clovis' forces tried to encircle them, not to mention he also heard Optimus' instructions. "Underground hmm? Not a bad idea." He contacted his allies again. "O-6, do you have an area map?"
"I have a map of the entire ghetto." Ratchet's voice answered for Optimus. "I'll relay the information to our allies."
"Good."
Clovis smirked triumphantly, thinking he was about to win. "Alright, send out Bertz and the others to! Concentrate our forces there! Surround them!" He saw on the radar all his forces coming in on a single red dot. "The enemy's main force is that center dot. Finish every one of them off!"
Pretty much every remaining Britannian Sutherland proceeded toward that location with the hope to completely overwhelm the enemy. However, once they got there, they were surprised to see there was nothing there.
"What?! Where's the enemy!?" Clovis demanded as the dot on the radar vanished.
All the resistance Knightmares, including the Glasgow, as well as the vehicle forms of the six Autobots, all moved within the large tunnels underground as they all gathered together to form a perfect circle and aimed toward a central point.
"Is everyone in position?" Optimus asked.
"Everyone's ready!" Kallen responded.
All the Knightmares readied their slash harkens as energon blasters opened up along the sides or tops of the Autobots' vehicle forms.
"Get ready, they're closing in." Lelouch stated. "Wait… three… two… one… FIRE!"
Slash harkens and energon blasts were all shot and concentrated on a single point. The force was so great that it caused the ground above to completely collapse and take out all the Knightmares with them. Fortunately all the Autobtos and rebel fighters were far enough away not to get caught up in it themselves.
"With this, I call check." Lelouch said as he moved his black king piece. It wasn't long before he burst into a triumphant laugh.
"Yes it worked! I can do it! I can! I can defeat Britannia!"
Optimus looked at the ruble with both surprise and seriousness. "He was able to counter all of Britannia's moves and provide a strategy that not only neutralized all enemy forces, but prevented any of his own soldiers from receiving casualties. His strategic thinking is most impressive. Perhaps… if we learn more about him… he may be a valuable ally."
Clovis couldn't believe his eyes as he instinctively backed up. Almost every single one of his Knightmares was lost. His eyes shook as fear was written all over his face.
"Who… who in the hell am I up against?! What if… what if he's even better than Tohdo!?"
"Lloyd!"
"Yes, your highness?" He mused, his smiling face still on the screen in front of the prince
"Can it win? Will your toy beat them?"
Lloyd's smile was still present, but his eyes were radiant with seriousness and ecstasy. "My lord, please be so kind as to call it Lancelot."
"Z-0-1 Lancelot now activating! Lancelot activating! Releasing hatch! Z-0-1 Lancelot stand by for activation! Pilot interface initiated!
Suzaku had just now put on the white and black pilot suit for the Knightmare he'd be piloting soon as it condensed and fit itself around his body.
"Did you read the manual?" Cecile asked on his communicator.
"Pretty much." Suzaku answered as he zipped up his suit.
"Well done." Cecile congratulated. "You scored at the top of the class at the simulator."
"Hey look, about what you told me earlier." Suzaku asked as he began to walk outside towards the Knightmare covered in a black tarp.
"Huh? Oh, it could be, but the possibility is nearly zero."
"But that means there's still a chance, right?" Suzaku insisted as he stood in front of the covered Knightmare.
"Yes, I'm afraid that's true. Even so, you're not to do anything reckless. The new system is not outfitted with an ejection mechanism."
"Okay, I understand Miss Cecile." Suzkau said. His eyes soon widened as the tarp fell off and he saw the Lancelot in its full glory. "That's it…?" He breathed in an amazed tone of voice.
"Yes the advanced weapon developed by us in the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps: Lancelot. The world's first Seventh Generation Knightmare Frame."
This Knightmare was large, slightly bigger than any Sutherland, it also had a much more humanoid appearance as it appeared like a knight covered in white and gold armor. It even had a head with its own set of green eyes. Needless to say, Suzaku was amazed.
"Well, if you're ready Suzaku, shall we proceed with the initial start-up?" Lloyd proposed, ready to see his beauty in battle for the first time.
With that being said, Suzaku quickly got into the cockpit of the Lancelot as they began to start up its systems.
"Initial start up, now proceeding from phase 20. Equipping energy filler. Confirm restart, energy filler now at full output. Thirty seconds to reach critical voltage. Core luminous, shifting phase. Initiating devicer set up. Confirming entry of devicer into Z-0-1. Mission control ID registration confirmed."
Suzaku put the ignition key in as the Lancelot began to fully activate.
"Confirm man-machine-interface engage."
He gripped the controls.
Lloyd smiled, as everything seemed to check out. "So far it's going per the data."
The ambulances cleared out of the way as Suzaku inputted the data as the Lancelot was now turned on. It took a stance as though it were a professional track-runner ready to go at the sound of the gun.
"Lancelot, activate M-E-boost!" Suzaku stated as the sakuradite (or energon) activated the system complete.
"Lancelot, LAUNCH!"
With a zoom, the Lancelot shot out like a speeding bullet. The wheels on its feet allowed it to move faster than any other Knightmare frame of the previous generation. The after effects were enough to knock down Lloyd, Cecile, and all their co-workers.
Lloyd couldn't help but laugh. "Running right out of the gate!"
Suzaku could not believe it. This Knightmare, it felt much more different than he had expected. "Cooler than the manual, with this…" He winced as he held the injury on his side.
Tamaki spotted something on his screen. "Huh? What is that…?"
He didn't have time to react as the Lancelot zoomed in and decapitated his Sutherland with the swipe of his hand.
Arcee rode up next to Optimus as they drove on the streets. "We've taken down pretty much every Knightmare in the whole ghetto." Arcee stated. "And much of this, came from his royal highness."
"Yes, Lelouch's strategy was quite impressive." Optimus replied.
"Wait… Optimus are you… actually considering bringing him on this?" Arcee questioned.
"Perhaps." The Autobot leader began. "If he truly stands against Britannia, his own strategic thinking as well as his knowledge of their inner workings could indeed aid us."
"He may be against Britannia, but what about the Decepticons?" Arcee asked.
Optimus wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, that is until he heard a communications.
"This is B-Group, reporting enemy presence."
"More Knightmares?" Arcee wondered.
Lelouch's voice responded over the communications. "Status?"
"Everyone ejected, but they took out four units in nothing flat!"
"Enemy numbers?" Lelouch asked.
"Just one. I think it's a new model! I've never seen anything like it…. AAAH!"
That caught the two Autobots by surprise. "A new model?" Arcee questioned.
"Ratchet, a new Knightmare has entered the field." Optimus contacted the Ark. "Can you find its signal?"
"Negative." Ratchet replied as he looked on the screen. "Whatever it is, it's not using the same ID signal as all the Sutherlands. But I can pinpoint its possible location from the resistance's Knightmares that were destroyed."
"I have the location." Fixit pulled up his own map. "Bulkhead and Cliffjumper, you two appear to be the closest Autobots. Can you find out what it is?"
"We're on our way." Bulkhead reported.
A resistance Sutherland had just been destroyed, its pilot ejected, as the Lancelot stood firm. Factshere sensors opened up on its breastplate briefly. Bulkhead and Cliffjumper saw the white Knightmare as they drove onto the street.
The red disguised Autobot whistled. "That's one nice looking suit."
"It's definitely not a Sutherland." Bulkhead noted.
Two resistance Sutherlands immediately opened fire. "Bastard!" They fired with their rifles, but the Lancelot lifted its right arm and an energy shield deflected the bullets.
"Did that thing just reflect bullets?!" Cliff questioned in surprise.
The Lancelot shot at a speed equivalent to that of a race car and decapitated both Knightmares with just hand-swipes.
"Holy scrap! That was fast!" Bulkhead exclaimed in shock. "Ratchet, I'm sending you a visual!"
A visual image, taken by Bulkhead's optics, appeared on the screen onboard the Ark's bridge where Ratchet and Fixit got a good look at the Lancelot.
"What is that?" Fixit asked, his tone indicated he was more than a little intimidated.
"I don't know…. But it could spell trouble." Ratchet stated, his eyes radiant with worry.
"I've got a visual!" Ironhide sounded. "It's moving faster than a rocket! It…. Whoa! That thing just tore through a squad like it was nothing!"
Optimus and Arcee heard this as well. "Ironhide, what is your status?" His leader asked.
"I'm fine. It shot right past me like I wasn't even there!"
"Because we're robots in disguise!" Arcee realized. "So long as we're in vehicle form, it'll only target Knightmares!"
"So yeah, we're safe, but what about all the rebels?" Cliff asked.
"[Hang on! I see it! I'll try and tail it!]" Bumblebee reported.
"Bumblebee wait!" Optimus stated. "Do not do anything reckless! Maintain visual but only from behind! Do not engage this Knightmare unless absolutely necessary!"
"[I understand]"
Lelouch's frustration had grown as half of his pieces had already been taken out. But was surprised to hear Optimus' voice through the radio.
"All units! A new Knightmare has entered the battle! You are not to engage it any circumstances! All units are to fall back immediately!"
"Fall back?!" Lelouch questioned.
"I have uploaded a rendezvous point where we can reorganize and plan a counter-attack." Optimus continued to inform as a dot appeared on Lelouch's screen. "Report there as soon as possible! If you spot a white knightmare, do not engage it! Eject immediately!"
Lelouch was more than a little surprised. "What happened? Something I didn't foresee?"
Pretty much every resistance Sutherland was now falling back, save for two that tried to hold back the Lancelot. The white Knightmare shot a slash harken from its wrist to decapitate on Sutherland as the other tried to shoot at it. The Lancelot punched the ground and launched another slash harken from its wrist to propel itself into the air.
"Damn it!" The resistance pilot cursed as it tried to shoot at him. But the Lancelot had already come down with an axe kick on the side. The pilot ejected as soon as he could.
"Yes I can do this!" Suzaku stated. "With Lancelot, I can stop all this fighting at once!"
Bumblebee meanwhile looked in shock as he held back but still saw the Lancelot as it kept going.
"That thing… it moves…. Like a Decepticon!"
Clovis saw the status from his mobile base. Though he was glad that the resistance was being pushed back, he also cringed inward.
"For heaven's sake. Now I'll owe my older brother a debt I don't mean to incur. It's for the best though."
Despite several resistance Sutherlands trying their best to retreat, they still somehow found themselves against the Lancelot as it quickly made work of them. It tore the Knightmares apart and yet Suzaku tried his best to avoid any fatal shots and kill someone. He was only disarming them.
He may have unknowingly passed by some Autobots, but as they maintained vehicular cover, Suzaku merely dismissed them as abandoned vehicles. While most of them, including Optimus, had already helped the remaining resistance fighters get to their rendezvous point, Bumblebee still continued to tail the Lancelot, while maintain a safe distance.
Lloyd and Cecile continued to watch Suzaku's progress through the Lancelot's outer camera as well as the date they were receiving from Suzaku himself.
"These readings are even higher than predicted!" Cecile exclaimed in surprise.
Lloyd pushed up the brim of his glasses. "It's because our pilot is taking his job very seriously."
Suzaku grimaced as he held his injury, but he pushed himself to keep going. "If I can stop all of the Knightmares, then this battle is over! No matter what, I've got to save Lelouch and that girl!"
His factsphere systems spotted something. The Lancelot's screens zoomed in near the top of an abandoned building. The systems locked onto a Sutherland that was hiding at the top: the one piloted by Lelouch.
Arcee drove down an alleyway where she ran into Bumblebee still maintain a fair distance from the white Knightmare, but the moment she turned she saw it.
"Whoa! That's what's causing all the trouble?!" She questioned in surprise.
"[Yep. That's it]" Bumblebee bleeped back in response. However they looked in surprise to see it gunning toward a certain building. "[Wait… oh no! It's going for Lelouch!]"
"Scrap!" Arcee cursed as she and Bumblebee zoomed after it as fast as they could.
Lelouch could only look in shock as a slash harken gripped onto the ceiling of his hiding spot. It wasn't long before the Lancelot pulled itself up and gunned straight for him. He instinctively used his Sutherland to block its strike.
"You mean this thing's what's ruining my plan?!"
The Sutherland struggled against the Lancelot's superior strength.
"Are you the guy that's in command?!" Suzaku questioned, though his voice wasn't projected through any speakers.
Lelouch tried to push back as hard as he could. "Nothing more than a pilot… how dare he…"
However the floor gave way underneath both Knightmares as they fell several stories through the ruined building. Lelouch grimaced and knew he had to leave.
"No choice, I gotta get out of here!"
He looked in further shock to see the Lancelot coming down toward him with a spinning kick. He tried to block it with the Sutherland's arm, but he was still quickly knocked down. The Lancelot was about to take him out of commission with a wrist-mounted slash harken when Kallen's Glasgow came in for a punch, which the Lancelot quickly caught.
"Hey! I'm returning the favor!" Kallen shouted toward Lelouch over the radio.
She launched a slash harken at the enemy, but the Lancelot caught it with its other hand and quickly crushed it while also crushing the Glasgow's arm.
"I can't hold it…." She struggled.
She wouldn't have to struggle much longer as Arcee's motorcycle mode came in from a ruined floor and slammed into the back of the Lancelot's head, taking Suzaku by surprise.
"GO! RUN!" Arcee shouted to Kallen.
The red-haired girl looked in surprise for a split second before pulling the Glasgow's ejection seat and bailing. Arcee then skidded to a halt and faced the Lancelot directly.
Suzaku's eyes widened in shock as he saw this. "She's… going up against a Knightmare with just a motorcycle?!" He said to himself, thinking it was a woman driving it as he saw the hologram of the driver.
Arcee revved up before driving right toward the Lancelot. Suzaku tried to grab her, but moved slowly as he was worried he could kill the driver, but it was what Arcee needed to swerved under it and begin spinning in doughnuts amongst the debris, crating a smokescreen to blind the Lancelot.
Lelouch drove his Sutherland out of the dust. "I must remember that." He thought to himself. "The most vital element in battle is the human one."
He looked down to see the yellow and black car from before flashing his lights at Lelouch before turning around and driving off, motioning for the former prince to follow him, which he did.
"That's two I owe you." He muttered to himself as he followed Bumblebee.
Arcee continued to spin circles and create plenty of dust around Suzaku. He tried to stir the Lancelot, but all this movement blinded him greatly.
"What's going on?! I can't see!"
As she continued to swerve, she saw Bumblebee and Lelouch moving away and were at a reasonable distance, now it was her turn to leave. She drove off in the direction that Kallen ejected.
The Lancelot waved its arms a few times to clear out the dust; Suzaku had found that everyone was gone. "Where did they go?"
He turned on his factsphere sensors again to pick up the enemy's location where he spotted the Sutherland from before as well as a yellow and black car moving away.
"Oh no you don't."
Kallen had kicked open the hatch of her escape-pod as she tried to stand up and looked around at where she landed. Before her mind could wrap around what just happened, Arcee had sped in front of her.
"Get on!"
Not loosing a chance to escape, she quickly mounted the motorcycle and grabbed the seat as Arcee drove off.
"What the hell was that thing?!" She questioned, referring to the Knightmare.
"I don't know, but right now we need to get somewhere safe!"
Bumblebee and Lelouch continued to drive down the road. However, it wasn't long before the Sutherland's radar picked up something coming toward them. It was the Lancelot.
"You're kidding me!? It's already caught up to us!?" Bumblebee thought in surprise.
Lelouch turned the Sutherland back and opened fire with its rifle, but the Sutherland was quick enough to avoid all the bullets. Lelouch tried to shoot some of the ruble from the buildings to block its path, but Suzaku maneuvered the Lancelot and it was able to avoid everything that fell without even slowing down.
"That damn monster's unstoppable!" Lelouch exclaimed.
Bumblebee realized the situation they were in. This thing was obviously with Britannia. If it took down the Sutherland and found out about Lelouch; granted he was a prince, but still to take a stand against his own empire, it could put him in considerable danger. Bumblebee was a little more surprised that he was thinking of Lelouch's safety, but then again, he was an Autobot and the safety of the weak and helpless was his first priority.
"That thing may stand up against Knightmares, but what about an Autobot?" He stopped and turned around before gunning straight for the Lancelot.
Lelouch was beyond surprised. "What?! What are you doing?!" He stopped the Sutherland and watched as the car go straight for the enemy Knightmare.
This movement shocked Suzaku as well. "Is he trying to ram me?! Maybe if I go around him…"
But Bumblebee had already kicked in maximum overdrive. "Sorry Optimus, but I've got no choice here!"
He did the one thing that no one expected: he transformed! Bumblebee took his natural Cybertronian form and using the momentum from the speed he gathered in his vehicle form, he reeled back a fist before delivering a punch straight to the Lancelot's face. It was powerful enough to send the white Knightmare flying back quite a distance and crashing through some of the ruble previously brought down.
"Wha.. WHAT THE HELL!?" Lelouch practically screamed, his eyes ready to pop out of their sockets.
Cecile shot right up out of her chair and Lloyd completely lost his composure, doubling back, as they saw the exact same thing from the Lancelot's camera systems.
"Did… did that car just transform into a Knightmare?!" Cecile exclaimed in shock.
Lloyd Asplund, for the first time in his life, was completely speechless.
Suzaku's look couldn't be described with mere words as the dust cleared and he got a good look at the Autobot scout. His eyes were so wide they looked like dinner plates with his mouth in the form of a perfect o.
Bumblebee, seeing how he made his enemy speechless, pressed his advantage as he charged right at the Lancelot and laid another punch across its face before delivering a roundhouse to knock it further back. Suzaku managed to stabilize himself, but his look of surprise did not fade when Bumblebee's wrists converted into his energon blasters which he opened fire immediately onto the Lancelot.
The energy blasts hit the Lancelot, causing it to stumble back before Suzaku activated its shield to block the attack. He tried to regain his composure.
"Is that… what is…." He shook his head. "Whatever it is, it could spell trouble! I have to take it down!" He shot the Lancelot directly at Bumblebee, but he rolled out of the way to avoid the punch before opening fire again on the Lancelot's side.
Lelouch used this opportunity to drive his Sutherland into an opening within a ruined building, but he stopped and found his eyes traced solely on the battle taking place in front of him.
"Is that some sort of… specialized Knightmare….? No, its far too maneuverable." He thought as he saw Bumblebee move swiftly under the Lancelot's swing to deliver an upper cut and hook to the white Knightmare's body which retaliated with a kick to Bumblebee's chest to knock him back. Lelouch got a good look at the Autobot's face as he charged back at the enemy.
"That's definitely not a Knightmare! It has a face… it's own eyes move and shift with the battle! That thing… it's alive!"
The Lancelot fired a slash harken from its wrist, which Bumblebee caught and managed to crush in his hand before running directly at the Lancelot and jumping to deliver a kick right at its face, causing it to stumble back. But when Bumblebee tried to shoot at it again with his energon blasters, it leaped into the air to deliver a spinning kick; which Bumblebee tried to block with both his arms but still knocked him down all the same.
Fortunatley the Autobot rolled out of the way as the Lancelot tried to swing its hand to possibly cut off his head and it impacted the ground. As he got up, Bumblebee tackled the Lancelot and rammed it into the wall of a ruined building before grabbing the Lancelot by the back of its head and smashing it repeatedly into the wall.
Suzaku grunted until he had enough and shoved both the Lancelot's arms into the wall and activated both his slash harken to knock him and Bumblebee back, but this caused a rift and tear in the building before a piece on an upper floor gave way.
Lelouch, Suzaku, and Bumblebee's attention was caught by a scream as they saw a woman holding a baby falling from the building that was recently damaged.
Bumblebee's optics widened before he ran and shoved the Lancelot out of the way, disregarding the battle immediately.
Suzaku's eyes also widened as he feared the worst. "No! Don't you try and…!" He looked in shock to see Bumblebee leap into the air, reach out his hand and catch both the mother and her child in the palm of his and before landing on the ground on his knees and his other hand, still keeping the mother and her child close and safe.
"It just…. Saved them…?" Suzaku stuttered in surprise.
Lelouch was also shocked. "In the midst of battle he rescues someone?"
Bumblebee carefully and gently put the mother down as she still held her child while looking at the Autobot with shaky eyes before screaming and running away in fear. This caused the scout to look down slightly, though it was expected. He resumed his glare as he turned to face the Lancelot, which had yet to make a move, as Suzaku didn't even attack yet.
Seeing this as a chance to escape, as he possibly underestimated this Knightmare and didn't want to drag out the fight, he punched the side of the building, causing a bit more ruble to fall down and create dust cloud.
Suzaku tried to move the Lancelot into it, but when the dust cleared, the Autobot had already vanished.
"That thing…. Saved someone's life…" Suzaku was still in shock. "Then… why was it helping those terrorists? What in the world is going on?"
"Suzaku?"
He looked up to see Cecile's face on the communication's screen. "Miss Cecile… you saw what I saw…. Right?"
Cecile nodded. "I did… but I really don't know what it was…. If you want, you could come back. We can take a break."
Suzaku tried to straighten himself out. "No it's fine. I'll keep going. I don't know what it was but I wanna find out." He drove off further into the ghetto.
Lelouch stood up out of the Sutherland as he was still rather surprised by what had just happened. He heard a faint noise behind him and turned around, only to backpedal slightly as Bumblebee was looking straight at him. The two of them both hiding in the ruined building.
The exiled prince straightened himself up as he stared at the Autobot, and Bumblebee stared at him. It was an uneasy silence until Lelouch finally spoke.
"You're not a Knightmare, are you?"
Bumblebee shook his head.
"Can you understand me?"
Bumblebee nodded.
Lelouch soon chuckled slightly before it erupted into a full blown laughter. First he gained the power to control people just by looking at them, now he was speaking to some kind of sentient machine that could transform into a car at will.
"Oh god…" He held his face as he tried to suppress his laughs. "This has been one hell of a day…"
Bumblebee simply waited for Lelouch to stop laughing. Although he had not expected this sort of reaction, something like this was only natural as this was the first ever human-Autobot contact. He finally stopped laughing before Lelouch only had a smile and simply looked at him.
"Are those other cars and trucks like you?" Lelouch asked as Bumblebee nodded in confirmation. "I suppose I can talk to them later, but first things first. You know, we're not far from Clovis' transport, based on the Sutherland's data. What do you say we end this?"
Bumblebee nodded with a serious look in his eyes.
Lloyd stood outside as he spoke to himself. "Unbelievable. A Knightmare that could transform into a vehicle. I had come here hoping to find the perfect devicer for the Lancelot, not only do I succeed in that field, but I think I found something truly spectacular!" He laughed giddily like an excited schoolgirl. "I don't know what that thing was, but I want it!"
Bumblebee had transformed back into his vehicle form with Lelouch in the driver's seat as it drove toward the side of the blockade surrounding Clovis. Though a few soldiers guarded it, there were only two Knightmares up front, but that didn't matter. They just had to get past this one guard and they could end it here.
A soldier raised his hand to stop the yellow and black car as it slowly came to a halt. The soldier walked up with a gun in his hands.
"Stop there! Step out of the car, this is Prince Clovis' personal transport!"
Lelouch smirked to himself. "Finally." He lowered the window slowly to where the soldier could only see his eyes as he activated his Geass.
"I'd like you to let us pass."
Red rings formed in the soldier's eyes. "Yes sir, understood." He lowered his gun and stepped aside as Bumblebee proceeded toward the transport.
Arcee drove Kallen and skidded to a halt in front of an abandoned warehouse.
"Kallen! In here!" Ohgi waved to them from inside the door. Arcee drove in with Kallen as the door was closed behind them. She got off as she and Arcee got a good look at this; there were only four, maybe even five rebels left with a dozen civilians cowering and crying. All the disguised Autobots were present; including Optimus, Ironhide, Cliffjumper, and Bulkhead.
"It's your fault!" One civilian cried to the rebels. "This is what happens when you oppose the Britannians!"
"What?!" Tamaki questioned. "Why you gutless coward!"
A woman cried in despair. "How many people were killed because of this?!"
"Shut up!" Tamaki exclaimed. "Do you know how many of us were killed or captured?! Do ya!?"
The Autobots communicate with each other via their comns so the people couldn't hear them.
"Look at this." Cliff said with sympathy in his voice. "All these people lost maybe their friends, families, their own homes…"
"All because of Britannia." Ironhide growled. "Primus damn them all! They're every bit as bad as the Decepticons!"
"Wait… where's Bee?" Bulkhead questioned.
"He went to help Lelouch last I saw of him." Arcee answered.
Optimus tried to contact him. "Bumblebee, report in! Where are you?!"
"[We're going to end this right now!]"
"Wait… 'we'?" Arcee questioned.
"Ratchet, where's Bumblebe?" Ironhide questioned over the comns.
"I've locked onto his signal. He's…. he's at the very edge of the ghetto…. Right where Clovis' transport is!"
"What?!" Ironhide questioned before an explosion erupted from the gate up front. Every one screamed as the Autobots rolled up front to protect all the civlians and rebels as a Britannian tank and several foot soldiers swarmed in.
"See?! This is what we get for following a bunch of random guys we don't even know!" Tamaki yelled toward Ohgi
The disguised Autobots formed a defensive line in front of the Britannian soldiers. No way would they allow more people to die like this.
"So this is where you Eleven vermin scurried off to" The soldier on top of the tank mused. "Prepare to fire!"
"Optimus…!" Bulkhead gazed towards them.
Inwardly, Optimus knew they were in a tight spot. The only way to save all these people was to drop their cover here and now.
Kallen couldn't believe this. Was she going to die? Here?! Now?! All she could do was close her eyes and cry her deceased older brother's name. "Naoto!"
"Autobots!" Optimus began. "Transf…."
"Attention all forces! Cease fire at once!" Clovis' voice echoed throughout the entire ghetto; surprising everyone; Japanese, Britannian, and Autobot.
"Cease fire?!" Arcee and Ohgi questioned at the same time.
Even Suzaku was stunned from his location. "Cease fire?"
Ratchet and Fixit also heard the announcement over the Autobot communications in the Ark.
"I Clovis, Third Prince of Britannia, and Royal Viceroy of Area 11, hereby command you!" Every Britannian soldier, including the stranded Jeremiah and Villetta, heard and looked in surprise, even Lloyd and Cecile. "All forces are ordered to cease fire at once! You will also cease destruction of any buildings or property! All casualties, weather Britannian or Eleven, shall be treated equally and without prejudice! Any injured Elevens will also receive the proper medical treatment and all soldiers will provide proper relief aid to all the survivors within the Shinjuku Ghetto! In the name of Clovis La Britannia, you are hereby ordered: cease-fire at once! I shall allow no further bloodshed!"
Bumblebee was parked behind Clovis transport and would have smirked if his face were visible.
"Bumblebee… was that you're doing…?" Ratchet asked him.
"[Well, it was more so Lelouch than myself.]" He answered
"You and Lelouch made it to Clovis?" Arcee questioned. "How did you get past all the guards?"
"[Aside from the fact that most of them were sent into the ghetto beforehand, Lelouch used his eye-power to get in. Literally, I just drove in.]"
"So where is Lelouch?" Ironhide asked.
"[Having a little chat with Clovis right now]"
"Does that mean… it's over…?" Cliffjumper asked.
Bumblebee would have laughed nervously if he could. "[Not exactly]"
"What do you mean?" Optimus questioned.
"[Okay…. Please don't be mad at me but…. Lelouch… sort of…. Saw me…. Transform.]"
The lights were shut off as Clovis glared toward the individual who had a gun pointed at him. He couldn't see his face in the shadows.
"Are you satisfied?" He asked.
"Very. Well done."
Clovis scoffed. "And what shall we do now? Sing a few lively ballads? Or perhaps a nice game of chess?"
"That has a familiar ring to it." Clovis looked in slight confusion. "Don't you recall? The two of us used to play chess together as boys. Of course, I would always win."
"What?"
He clicked his gun. "Remember? At the Aries Villa?"
Clovis' glare hardened with confusion in the mix. "You… who are you?!"
Lelouch stepped into the light and revealed his face. "It's been a long time, big brother!"
Clovis shot out of his chair, his eyes ready to completely bulge out as his pupils shrank. No! It was impossible! It couldn't be!
"The eldest child of the late consort Marianne, 17th in line to the imperial throne, Lelouch Vi Britannia at your service." He performed a mock bow.
"Lelouch….?!" Clovis could not believe his eyes. "But… But… I thought…"
"That I was dead? You we're wrong." Lelouch couldn't hide his devilish smirk. "I have returned, your highness. And I've come back to change everything!"
Done.
Wow that chapter was a lot longer than I thought it would be. But now the Autobots have had their first real battle against Britannia, one of many in the near future. And not only that but Lelouch has also made face-to-face contact with an Autobot! So many things will happen in the coming chapters as Lelouch has not only gained powerful allies but will come face-to-face with enemies far worse than Britannia could ever hope to be.
Now there is one thing I want to say before I close off for now. A reviewer told me not to make the Autobots and Decepticons too OP in regards to certain Knightmares, particularly the Lancelot and the Gurren, and I assure you I have done my research. So before anyone makes any complaints about how Bumblebee has gone on par with the likes of the Lancelot, I want you to take a few things into account.
Yes I am aware of just what the Lancelot is capable of, as one of Britannia's most powerful Knightmare frames, however it is just a machine, nothing more. And Suzaku, while has seemed to get the hang of it, is only piloting it for the first time, in fact it's the first real Knightmare he has EVER piloted! Now look at Bumblebee, he's among the fastest of the Autobots, and he is far more maneuverable than any Knightmare frame, and since Suzaku was evidently shocked at what he saw, his own reaction time was off which gave Bumblebee an edge in their fight. Not to mention Bumblebee has eons of combat experience over Suzaku so he was able to get the upper hand there to.
But it won't be like that in the future, once Suzaku gets used to seeing Cybertronians, he'll provide quite the challenge for the Autobots as the only one who can take on the Lancelot in a one-on-one fight will be Optimus Prime. (Again before anyone makes any complaints; look at Optimus, he's the most powerful Autobot on the team, with much combat experience, as well as a tactical mind that rivals even Lelouch's. Yes I said it, Optimus is every bit as smart as Lelouch considering he's led the Autobots for years during the War for Cybertron and has scored more than a few victories. So someone who is that powerful, smart, and experienced, can certainly hold his own against something like the Lancelot piloted by the likes of Suzaku).
I hope I made that point clear.
In the next chapter: Lelouch comes face-to-face with the rest of Team Prime and will soon learn just what is truly going on in the world.
Don't expect the Decepticons to make their grand appearance just yet, it'll be some time before we see them.
So anyway, I hope you all enjoy this and I look forward to writing more. See you soon.