"Checkmate."
Lelouch moved his final piece while trying his best to conceal his smirk. The noble simply stuttered and stared wide-eyed at the board.
A few minutes later…
"Amazing! You finished that in eight minutes thirty-six seconds. That's a new record." Rivalz unconcealed enthusiasm hit him like a stone brick. "I love these nobles. They always pay up because of their pride."
The joyful atmosphere was quite suddenly interrupted by a nearby screen which Clovis de Britannia appeared on. This simply caused Lelouch's eyes to narrow.
Somewhere in the Ghettoes
The walk was shorter than she would have liked. If anyone had told her a few years ago that she would be walking up alone to a junkyard surrounded by numbers in order to get parts for a knightmare that she was building, Nina Einstein wouldn't have spoken to that person ever again. She may also have tried to obliterate said person with a death ray in her imagination. Unfortunately, that was exactly what she was doing right now.
She took a deep breath and tried to remind herself why she was doing this for the hundredth time. It was about the deadline to the Nebula competition. Right. The one she thought they had absolutely no chance of winning.
She took another deep breath. She didn't have the heart to tell Nunnally that a Knightmare operated by a wheelchair bound person was probably the last thing the military wanted. On top of that they were using the frame of a second generation Knightmare and trying to operate it using a third generation Knightmare's blue prints. The thought of winning was absurd. But she had realised some time back that she did not in any way regret the time she spent on the Knightmare.
It had given her a lot of insight into the mechanics of these faceless beasts. She had been able to sketch out a few weapon and defence features in her mind that she wanted to add to the machine if they had time. Nina knew that they were in no way exceptional and the military knightmares probably had features that equalled to or tremendously outweighed her rough designs.
The only reason she had wanted to enter the competition was for recognition. There were other merit prizes given out and a seventeen year old who understood the detailed functions of a Knightmare would no doubt be highly regarded. Even more so when they realised that she had been able to bring the speed of a second generation frame up to the speed of the latest sixth generation frames. Her successful rewiring of the cockpit to allow all movements to be hand monitored would be the icing on top of the cake.
However, recognition was something Nunnally did not want. Nina did not question her though her curiosity was gnawing her from the inside. Although she was the brains behind the entire project, Nunnally had done a lot of invaluable work. Other than helping to maintain the Knightmare by frequently oiling and cleaning it, she had also been a great help in assembling the parts that needed a lot of attention to detail. Nina with her spectacles had limited eye power, and although Nunnally may not have fully understood how certain functions came about, she was a willing helper.
Most of their money also came from Lelouch. Nunnally did not want her brother to suspect her of anything, which was why she never asked him for much. Nina knew that Lelouch was rich but raising his suspicions would mean alerting the alarm on top of the overprotective brother's head. Said alarm would also have been triggered if he found out that his precious sister had been making frequent trips to the ghetto.
For now, Nina walked into the scrap metal store trying to look as small as possible. She was wearing her usual scarf around her lower facial features and her trusty hat. It was the first time she had come alone to the... well most people would call it a shop.
The first time she and Nunnally had come here she had mistaken it for an indoor junkyard. There were piles of car parts, old kitchen appliances and other pieces of junk all around. Sometimes they were lucky to find pieces of Knightmare frames. Nothing had changed within the last two years. Not even the owner who always seemed more like a pile of ragged clothing rather than an actual person. She half-heartedly peered around for him hoping to keep any interactions to a minimum.
"Hey missy. Where's your friend today?" A gruff voice came from behind her.
The ear-splitting shriek that was released after that would forever be etched in that man's memory.
Subway under the Shinjuku Ghetto
It seemed to his relief that the truck had finally stopped. Whatever could have possessed him to climb up the ladder at the back of the truck to see whether the driver was okay? Moreover, it was just his luck that it was a terrorist truck. Sometimes he felt as if the entire universe was conspiring against him.
'If I can just get to the surface, then-' – that was the last thought he had before a flying spinning kick was aimed at his face, throwing him back.
"A Britannian!" he realised with horror. It was actually quite miraculous that his skull had not been fractures from the force of the kick.
Any attempt to get up became futile when his attacker grabbed him by the throat.
"Don't kill anymore!"
"I'm not-"
"Poison gas!"
This was the second time the soldier had cut him off and Lelouch became rather irritated. He tried to kick the guy… and totally missed. The soldier had jumped back the moment he saw Lelouch's foot move. Therefore, Lelouch thought it was the best time to make his point… in a terrorist's truck facing a Britannian soldier.
"Don't play dumb! I'm telling you…!" he yelled half gasping while trying to get up. Then with the most intimidating pose he could muster after stretching his leg too much from a missed kick, "Britannia made that poison gas, didn't it? You don't want any more deaths? Then destroy the Britannian Empire."
Rather than shooting him like an actual Britannian soldier would have done, the soldier stared at him in shock.
"You?" He took off his helmet. "Lelouch? It's me; Suzaku."
He gasped in shock as he studied the face he had not seen in five years.
"You became a Britannian soldier?" He asked in a disbelieving voice.
"And you…" He paused mid sentence, hesitating a bit before daring himself to go on. "I knew you'd choose this path but at this age…?"
"What?" To say Lelouch was confused was an understatement.
"You have to run. I called backup and they'll be here soon!" the sudden change in Suzaku's tone reminded Lelouch what exactly his situation was. However, before the boys could do anything, the gas capsule suddenly opened.
From Lelouch's position on the ground after being pushed down by Suzaku, he could clearly see a green haired girl. Not poison gas. The two wasted no time in unstrapping the girl from her straight jacket.
"Damn monkey! Even a genuine Britannian is not allowed to touch that!" the booming voice echoed throughout the subway tunnel causing the teens to flinch. Suzaku immediately ran up to his superior to try to explain the situation.
"You have no right to question us!" The response was as impassive as expected. "But I recognise your valour and will give you another chance."
Suzaku did not allow himself to feel relief. He had an idea of what was going to happen and his suspicions were confirmed the moment the man held out a gun.
"Private Kururugi, use this to kill the terrorist."
There were nine men including the commander. Even with a gun in his hand, it would be impossible for him to win such a battle. He needed a plan. He needed more time to think.
"He's not a terrorist. He's just a civilian caught up in all of this."
This was absurd. It was always Lelouch who thought of a plan.
"How dare you! This is an order! You swore allegiance to Britannia."
If he could just turn around, he knew Lelouch would have something up his sleeve.
"That's true…" he could hear Lelouch audibly gasp behind him. "But I will not. I will not kill a civilian. I will not shoot him."He found this the perfect time to face Lelouch. Suzaku hoped that Lelouch had gotten the message. He honestly did not know how much longer he could stall for.
"Then die." He felt a sharp pain in his lower back the moment the words were muttered.
He was vaguely aware of Lelouch shouting his name. However, he was more aware that he had not been able to keep his promise. Voices swirled around his head before they were drowned out by the sound of an explosion. It seemed so near yet the source of the blast seemed further and further away with every passing moment. Finally, he could hear nothing at all.
Unknown area at the edge of the ghettoes
The ride to the shed had been getting smoother and smoother as the tracks of her wheelchair became more permanent on the ground with the passing months. She had learnt a long time back that a motorised wheelchair was not exactly welcome in these parts. This had made her paranoid friend immediately offer to push her to and fro. Nothing Nunnally said could change her mind.
Now, however, she was forced to used the motor due to the absence of her pusher. After all, her arms would not last a minute if she tried using the handgrips on the wheels to push herself.
She hoped she could make it to the shed without attracting any attention. It had been some time since she had been down this path alone and the streets had become slightly busier. This meant that she expected to come across at least six or seven people before reaching her destination.
When she turned the corner however, it was pure pandemonium. People were running across the street and were pushing each other without any thought in order to fit themselves into the narrow alleyways leading away… away from the Shinjuku Ghetto. And Nunnally soon realised why. They were running for their lives.
The sound of gunfire that belonging distinctly to Knightmares could be heard over the chaos.
'They're purging the ghettoes!' the thought itself was not believable but she honestly did not know. After all, when she was younger the ghettoes they were in were attacked no less than six times. Such things had ceased happening as time went by but the turmoil now painted another picture.
As she debated about turning back for the day, a familiar sight caught her eyes. Two boys were carrying the body of a young girl between them. The girl had multiple bullet wounds and did not seem to be alive, yet the boys persisted – just as she had imagined her brother and Suzaku do with her a countless number of times.
The girl was not the only wounded person. Hundreds more came stumbling out from the streets on her right, desperately trying to make their way to the constricted paths on her left. Some had bullet wounds, most exhibited bloodstains and all had the same look of despair on their faces.
Nunnally could not just sit there anymore. She pulled her hat down tightly over her face and braced herself for the rough ride ahead.
Somewhere in the ghettoes
Romu Takada was just recovering from having his eardrums burst when he heard the gunshots. His eyes narrowed as he turned to face the Britannian girl who was the cause of his original troubles.
Said girl and her wheelchair bound friend had first walked into his store less than two years ago. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were of Brit blood. He would have been an idiot to ask them what the hell they were doing in his shop. This was because they had soon after become regular customers and thus a regular source of income.
The disabled girl did all the talking while the other one always hung back as far away from him as possible sometimes instructing the cripple on which parts and sizes to get. He didn't bother trying to know their names. He simply called the sweet one 'Miss' and the other one… well, 'The Other One'.
Today of all days The Other One had come to his shop alone and just when the Brits had decided to kill more of them. He stomped out the end of his cigarette on a nearby car part. The peaceful Brits were not the cause of the Japanese troubles. There was no reason to make enemies out of them.
"You should get your ass outta here before those machines come. If ya go through the alley there an' take a left at the crossing, the settlement will be straight ahead." He said complete with hand gestures.
When what the man was trying to say finally made sense in Nina's head, she could not believe that he was trying to help her. The thought that it was a trap crossed her mind though she could think of no reason why he would want to… It was then that Nina Einstein realised that the Eleven had every reason to want to kill her.
She stared back at the man who had started closing the shop. The gunshots were coming from the direction of the Shinjuku Ghetto. Nunnally was in that direction.
Unknown area at the edge of the ghettoes
Nunnally went into the shed without bothering to bolt the door. She had finally made it and she was tired but she knew she had a long day ahead of her.
She stared at the contraption in front of her. It was horizontal as always. The most they had done was test the limbs by lifting them up into the air. They had never made the Knightmare stand up due to the height constraints of the shed.
The left hand was incomplete and according to Nina was not connected to the controls as it was still under reconstruction. There were also no firearms but the main problem was the cockpit.
They had to build it from scratch and there were no ejection means. This meant that there was no way she could escape if she was defeated.
She realised that her fists were clenched tightly. She could get herself into the cockpit, getting herself out would be the problem she'd leave for later. But the question was whether she was prepared to sacrifice everything for this. It was not only her; she would put her brother in danger as well. If she could put an end to the cause of the fighting…
A distant scream made up her mind. By the time Nina reached the shed – or what remained of it – the only thing she could find was a wheelchair.
A/N
I started waching the code geass anime again just to get my facts and dialogues right. I hope anyone doesn't mind if I skip over the parts which I'm planning to keep the same (unless they're super important). And just a question - Should I make the chapters longer or is the current length ok? Please let me know and don't forget to review!