Nunnally of the Reboot: Angel of Zero
Disclaimer: I Don't Own Code Geass
Due to massive reviews, which I loved, I had to axe out the review-response section for this chapter. And while a few people complaining about it is annoying, the reason I did this was because I honestly didn't like the idea of the response section taking up half the chapter-page. I right the response section after I wright the actual chapter, so I didn't realize how big it was until afterwardsHowever, I have all the responses saved, so if any of you that reviewed chapter 2 want to see my responses, ask me in a PM or review and I'll send it to you.
Regular Speak
Regular Thoughts
Demonic or Animalistic Speak
Demonic or Animalistic Thoughts
Non-Demonic Higher Beings will change depending on mood
AN PLEASE READ! Hello my fans! A quick announcement before we get to the main course! I now have an original short story published on Amazon! That's right, I've taken my first step into the world of original writing! And I plan to have a new one every month. If any of you are interested in buying it, the book is titled Red Ravtor.
"I hate you sometimes, Lelouch, I really do," Nunnally said blankly as she stared at the suitcase in her hand with a twitching eyebrow, "You make me feel like a leech sometimes, you being the bread winner and all," She said, hanging her head in mostly-mock shame as they headed back to the motorcycle.
"Sorry, Sister, but whereas my gambling can allow me to retain a great deal of anonymity, you would eventually be recognized and known throughout the settlement in any combat related contests you win at. That's the upside of Chess. As it is not a very popular or exciting game for most people, a highly skilled player is likely to go under the radar of most," Lelouch pointed out smoothly as they loaded up the money onto the bikes.
"Yes, yes, the huddled masses would rather witness a battle of brawns over a battle of brains," Nunnally waved off, still feigning sadness with a sigh, "What is a lonely Gladiatrix to do?"
"Gladiatrix? What are you, the star of a roman-themed porno?" Lelouch asked with a raised eyebrow as he leaned against the bike.
"No! Brother, your crassness is rare, but it stings like hell when you bring it out," Nunnally commented, annoyed and amused by Lelouch's joke. Amused that he made one, annoyed that it was at her, "Besides, the coliseum is probably where I'd end up back in Roman times...," Nunnally said before blinking and trailing off.
"Nunnally? What is it?" Lelouch asked in concern.
"Hey, Brother? When our plans are done, you think we could make some manga or comics on the side?" She asked curiously, "Cause I just got the idea of a Princess in Roman times being lost, enslaved, and ending up in the coliseum eventually," She explained, her eyes alight as she thought over the idea a bit.
"...Manga and Comics?" Lelouch asked in surprise, looking at the light in Nunnally's eyes. Then he shrugged, "If we make it to be twenty-five or thirty, I suppose we'll be in a decent situation to consider it," He answered, patting her on the head affectionately, making her smile sweetly. After all, it was good to have dreams for the future, for after their revolution, "Well, two of my games are cancelled, so we have some spare time. Anything you want to do?" He asked with a smirk.
Nunnally was about to answer when her phone went off, "Yes, this is Lelouch's secretary, how may I direct your call?" She answered playfully. Lelouch scowled as her expression quickly turned serious, wondering what it was, "Yeah, he's right here, I'll tell him," Nunnally answered before hanging up. "Our red-heads are doing something stupid with their club," Nunnally explained, using the code names so no one would know they were talking about a terrorist group. Essentially, it translated to "Naoto and Kallen are about to be in over their heads with what their terrorist group is planning."
Lelouch sighed at that, "How bad is it?" He asked, massaging his forehead as he prepared to conjure up a way to save their two friends, if need be.
"Something involving the smelly socks from the football team," She answered, looking annoyed when she was really worried.
'...Smelly socks?' Lelouch thought in surprise, trying to figure out what that one meant. It was an improvised code as they had never used it before. The 'football team' referred to the Britannian army. But what would smelly..., 'Poison gas? I thought they disbanded and outlawed chemical warfare after what happened in Area Nine!' Lelouch thought in alarm, 'This is bad. Any experimentation with something like that would be above top secret. The fact they found out about it is both a miracle and a disaster. Those two, being who they are, wouldn't dare leave a threat like that alone.'
"Brother," Nunnally called, her calm and leveled voice cutting through the calculation of his mind, "I think our plans might just accelerate," She said with an apologetic smile.
"...We're heading back to the academy," Lelouch answered in finality as he took his seat in the passenger car. Nunnally simply nodded and mounted the bike. Lelouch was in what she mentally called his "Zero Mode." She saw him get like this from time to time, his mind going through plan after plan at speeds she couldn't even try to match.
However, she knew that the poison gas was more than just that. It somehow related to CC, as it being stolen is what triggered the meeting between Lelouch and the witch, but she wasn't sure how. The memory was hazy as Lelouch had been unintentionally kidnapped, attacked by Suzaku for the first time in years, nearly died several times, and got Geass on top of all of it. And that was all in the same hour! 'No wonder that memory is so hazy. Too much excitement and adrenaline in one day,' Nunnally thought, shaking her head as Lelouch dialed a new number.
"Milly," Lelouch said into the phone as they sped down the streets, "I got a call from one of my contacts, in regards to Kallen and her friends. My hand might be forced sooner than I had planned," He explained.
"I'll have Sayako get everything ready, but...Lelouch? Are you sure about this?" Milly asked in a deadly serious tone, "Once you start this, you can't just stop. Think very carefully before you open something you're not ready for," She urged warningly.
Lelouch didn't comment or react to the question for a few seconds, glancing at his sister as she stared intently at the road, her eyes steely and fiery with the wrath of a warrior. He glanced at the clear blue sky and for a brief instant, imagined it painted a bloody shade of red, before sighing, "One can never truly be ready for war, Millicent, only ready enough," He answered in finality.
"I understand. And don't call me that! You know I hate that!" She growled. Lelouch could practically feel her glaring at the phone for using her 'noble' name. While Milly was her legal names, her parents nicknamed her Millicent to sound more...noble at high class events.
"Brought that on yourself for being the first to dub me Lulu," Lelouch countered evenly. Again, he could feel her pout as she hung up, "Not a word," Lelouch said, not even looking to Nunnally, who had managed to suppress a grin.
"I didn't say anything." She retorted with a raised eyebrow.
"Your thoughts are very loud though," He countered without missing a beat.
"So, what's the plan?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, even as she kept staring at the road.
Lelouch paused as he thought it over in his head, 'Well, we can't try to convince them to stop or they'll know we've been keeping tabs on them, and I'd rather this not be the situation to discuss that with them. Even if we did, they're probably already on the move. That would lead to a very awkward situation for them if two Britannian students just suddenly walked in on them and knew who they were. Besides, this isn't something they'll believe they can leave alone. And, assuming they actually get their target, they'll be immediately hunted down by the military. Naoto has a plan, I'm sure, but he doesn't fully grasp the severity of the situation. Clovis will never allow this kind of thing to get out in the open. He'll do whatever it takes to keep it quiet. We can't stop this from happening and if we let it play out on its own, it could result in another slaughter,' He theorized as he hummed before smirking, "We may not have to play our hand after all. Not fully at least."
"You're not going to try to ninja your way into the base, are you?" Nunnally asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, but that might be how you get out. No, we're going to walk in the front door," Lelouch answered bluntly.
"...Oh God, not him. Please not him," Nunnally groaned as he dialed the number. There was only one contact, one man she knew of that could do that for Lelouch.
"Arubianus, it's me," Lelouch said simply, waiting for the response.
"I wasn't expecting to hear from you anytime soon, Lelouch," A blunt and aloof voice commented evenly, "I take it by the lack of urgency in your voice that your cover isn't blown and this is for something else?" He asked knowingly.
"You'd be right. Some friends of mine are about to do something you would call 'energetic'," Lelouch explained vaguely.
"And you want me to help you rush to their aid and risk ruining everything?" The man asked in amusement.
"You know about some poison gas experiments?" Lelouch asked, raising an eyebrow at the chuckle that followed his inquiry, "What is it?"
"You must be really nosy to find out about that. I barely know of it myself. The viceroy is very hush-hush about that particular topic. The only reason I haven't informed the homeland is because I have no proof of its existence. Plus, while it's currently outlawed to use poison gas in actual warfare, all they would have to do is claim they produced it to test antidotes and anti-chemical warfare defenses. After all, China is just a skip and a hop away from here and if they invaded with poison gas, the viceroy needs to have the armies prepared," He elaborated, taking a slightly mocking tone towards the end, "And what, with the viceroy being a prince...," The man explained, leaving the end hanging.
Lelouch nodded, getting the picture. The Empire wasn't known for following its own rules, after all. Just because poison gas was 'officially' illegal didn't mean it wasn't unofficially used, "Tell me, how is it a random group of people could find out about something like that?" Lelouch asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
"Well, my first inclination would be to suggest bribery, but the people that know of this are paid handsomely to NOT know of it. However, the container of the gas is scheduled to be moved soon. My best guess is your friends just got lucky and overheard two loudmouths talking about it," Arubianus pointed out offhandedly.
"Can you get me in the building where the transport will be?" Lelouch requested bluntly.
"Now who's being energetic?" The contact retorted with an amused and perhaps proud smirk, not that Lelouch could see it, "I'm texting you a location. Be there in two hours. Oh, and say hello to your sister for me," The man requested.
"She says she hates you," Lelouch said with a blank face, seeing Nunnally grip the handles on the bike harder and harder, "She hates you very much."
"Still?" The man asked in slightly surprise before shrugging, "Oh well," He said before hanging up.
"Not a word," Nunnally snapped, looking ready to breath fire.
"I didn't say anything," Lelouch said with a playful smirk look.
"Your thoughts are noisy!" She spat back, making Lelouch shake his head in amusement, "So, you really think we can go in and out of this situation and then just go back to lying low?" Nunnally asked, a bit skeptically.
"That is a best case scenario. And no perfect plan survives contact with the enemy," Lelouch reminded.
"Which is why you make a million imperfect plans for everything that can go wrong with the perfect plan," Nunnally summed up. Lelouch just shrugged as they rode back in silence, their minds preparing for what was to come...
Timeskip
In her past life, Nunnally had always wondered what Lelouch's expressions would look like at times. Sure, she could imagine his face and him smiling or scowling, but...it really was something else to see it herself…his even and serious gaze, his stone-like expression, his regal posture, that aura of confidence. No, confidence wasn't the word for it; it was determination. The steadfast and relentless will to see something through.
She could see how someone like him could inspire and sway others to follow him. His talent for words and knack for the theatrics just made it all the easier. They were both of royal blood and upbringing, but Nunnally knew Lelouch had the lion's share of leadership abilities from the gene pool while she got the genes for being a warrior: Or Badass, Spunky, Insane, Super-Girl as Rivalz called her.
And as they entered their secret bunker under the Ashford Academy, given to their use by Ruben Ashford, Nunnally knew this was it. Lelouch was about to get his first taste of war. Zero was about to truly be born this time around, with an angel at his side.
The bunker was fifty feet below the academy and off of any official blueprints, and had an emergency escape route to the sewers. In the bunker was a computer terminal that was damn near impossible to hack and about a month's supply of food. However, more important were the supplies they kept down there. Thanks to the Britannian Military being corrupt as hell, they were able to secure several things that were supposed to be destroyed. Some of the...larger and harder to hide items were in other locations. Here, however, they had two dozen automatic rifles, a shotgun, a pistol, four sniper rifles, a few rocket launchers, and enough ammo for an entire platoon. Ruben wasn't fond of having such dangerous weapons right under his feet, but gave his consent as he'd probably be a dead man anyway if the bunker itself was discovered.
"Master Lelouch, Mistress Nunnally," Sayoko greeted when the doors opened, bowing to them respectfully.
"Sayako," Lelouch greeted, seeing she had already laid out the weapons and ammo, as well as something else..., "Are you bugging my phone now, Sayako?" Lelouch asked in amusement as he saw what looked like a pair of uniforms for Britannian soldiers; mainly because they were the uniforms of Britannian soldiers. Exactly what they needed.
"A maid must always anticipate her Lord's needs and orders before he even thinks to give them," Sayako explained with a benign smile.
"So, as a super-maid, you have to be a mind reader," Nunnally commented idly.
"I have your other outfit ready as well, Milady," Sayoko said with the same smile as she held out a neatly stacked and folded pile of clothes with a tanto on top of it.
"Sayako, I know I said it a lot since you started teaching me, but I'll say it again; you're amazing," Nunnally said with a grin as she took the offered clothes and headed to change behind some crates.
"I live to serve," She answered humbly before turning to Lelouch with a scowl, "Master Lelouch? May I inquire what the exact nature of this situation would be?" She asked in a cold voice…the voice of a soldier requesting orders from her leader.
"Kallen and Naoto are about to really stir up a hornets' nest, the kind their group isn't prepared to handle," Lelouch explained as he changed into the soldier uniform, "We're heading in to bail them out when it happens."
"If it was anyone else, I would ask if they were worth risking yourselves over," Sayoko mused to herself, knowing that the Kozuki siblings were dear to these two. After all, many people lost friends and family in the Britannian Invasion and current occupation. The survivors clung to what they had left afterwards, even if they now risked their lives to fight for a better future, "May I request to accompany you on this mission?" She requested, her eyes hardening.
"You're our backup," Lelouch answered simply, "If things go completely south, we'll need a way out," He elaborated, Sayoko bowing at the waist in compliance.
"As you command, Master Lelouch," She acknowledged. After all, there was no higher respect and honor for a ninja than for her lord and master to trust his life in her hands.
"Besides, Sayoko, we have to be able to stand on our own two feet and get our own hands dirty." Nunnally reminded simply as she stepped out, wearing a navy blue Shinobi shōzoku outfit that covered everything save a slit for her eyes. Her tanto was secured behind her on the back of her waist, "How do I look?" She asked.
"Like a genuine ninja of old, Mistress," Sayoko said with a proud, almost motherly smile on her face. After all, she had taught Nunnally a great deal in the years she had served her, it was only right that she be proud of her Mistress/student putting her skills to real use for the first time.
"And I look like a genuine dog of Britannia," Lelouch commented cynically with a roll of his eyes, covered by the visor of the helmet, "Come on, from what we know, Kallen's group is going to try whatever scheme they hatched up today. And we're the ones who'll have to pay for the funerals if those two die," Lelouch joked in a cold, morbid, and even voice as Nunnally slipped on the soldier uniform over the tight ninja outfit.
"I'm ready, Brother," Nunnally acknowledged, her voice turning emotionless and almost robotic. To be honest, she had to bite her tongue to stop from saying 'Lord Zero', just from the anticipation of knowing that Lelouch would be taking up that mantle soon.
Lelouch grabbed one of the standard automatic rifles and jammed a magazine into it, "Let's move out," He ordered as they headed for the emergency exit, to head for the sewers.
Timeskip
"You sure he can be trusted, Master?" Sayoko asked in concern as they stood near a forest on the outskirts of a ghetto, "This Arubianus person does not have the highest of character to my knowledge."
"I hope you're not basing that on anything my sister said about him," Lelouch said with a smirk, Nunnally glaring under her visor for a brief moment.
"While Mistress has made her dislike for this man known on occasion, I am basing it on what I know of him from my research on him as well," Sayoko answered carefully, trying not to sound amused at Nunnally's attitude towards this individual, "I have found nothing to suggest that he would be inclined to help your cause, Master. In fact, I would suspect the opposite," She added on, clearly skeptical of this person she had yet to meet.
"For the most part, he's unambitious, but he is powerful in his own right. His family is a minor one, but it is old and unquestioningly loyal to Britannia, and therefore a potent ally in our enemy's ranks for now. Our Benjamin Franklin, as it were," Lelouch commented, 'He's also one of the few players to force me into a draw in chess, albeit two years ago,' He mentally added.
"If he's so loyal, then why does he aid you?" Sayoko questioned, very confused by that.
"He aides me because he's loyal to HIS Britannia," Lelouch answered vaguely.
"...I understand, Master," Sayoko acknowledged as a limousine drove up to them, making her tense in case of a double cross.
The door opened and out of it stepped a young man with short brown hair and dark purple-blue eyes. His outfit was a grey-blue business suit with an unbuttoned jacket. To Lelouch and Nunnally, the person reminded them a bit of Suzaku for some reason. Next was a woman with short, dark-green hair and blue eyes as well, wearing a far less professional getup. She had on a white tube top and a white and brown skirt that went down to her knees with a slit on each side. The man looked at them with an even and suspicious look while the woman grinned at them. While it may not be obvious, Lelouch and his female associates could tell that these two were obvious trained to fight. The guns on their hips had nothing to do with that conclusion.
"Are you Lelouch Lamperouge?" The man asked with a light, guarded glare.
"Yes, I am. I take it you must be Arthur. I heard a bit about you from your sister," Lelouch answered evenly before smirking, "She said you had a habit of openly distrusting everyone you meet the first time around. And your eyes are exactly like hers," Lelouch mused.
Arthur glared at the false-soldier, about to retort, when he was interrupted, "Arthur, that's enough. We didn't come here to fight them and you know how Rhiannon gets when you pick fights with our friends," A voice in the car called as a third person emerged; A man, full grown and in his prime with red eyes and silver hair. He was dressed in a black overcoat with grey outlines, finely made black pants and boots, and a red scarf that looked like it was made of a royal fabric, "Isn't that right, Lelouch?" He asked with a small smirk.
"So it is, Arawn Arubianus, Lord of the Annwn Family," Lelouch answered with a smirk of his own.
End of Chapter
These are NOT OCs people. I wanted to go an original way with this story, like I said, and I needed a way to get Lelouch into the compound. I didn't want to use Jeremiah for various reasons. So, I used characters from a recent anime called Tears to Tiara. Which is fitting, seeing as it's a fantasy setting with Arthur(King Arthur) as a character, among other characters from Welsh, Celtic, and Roman mytohlogies. If any of you watched it, a lot of this will make more sense, like why Arawn's last name isn't the same as the family he's head of. If not, its not important to the story.
The Annwn family, however, is NOT a high class family that Lelouch can use to solve all his problems. Not even sure if they'll be involved too much after this. So, don't worry, no Deus Ex Machina in this case. Still, their involvement does show that the timeline is changed beyond recognition at this point.
Any way, I'd like to thank Minatom again for the many suggestions for this story and all the inspiration they gave me! And yes, I'm not having Lelouch's journey begin like it did in canon via getting trapped in Kallen's group's stolen truck with CC in it. Weither or not they still end up in the Shinjuku Ghettos is another question entirely.
Yes, Lelouch and Nunnally have stocked up on equipment. Way I see it, the Military is corrupt enough that some of the officers in it would be willing to deal out weapons and equipment to Britannian citizens for whatever reason, especially if the weapons and equipment was suppose to be destroyed or something similar. So, naturally Lelouch can get a good deal of stuff descretely if he knows where to look. Not the best, usually, but still decent and probably better than what the terrorists often get.
Hope you all enjoyed this little chapter and hope some of you read my original story on Amazon! Until next time!
