Turn 3: Mystery
Disclaimer: I don't really see the goal of this thing. It's obvious that none of owns Code Geass, Sunrise does. And no one is trying to make profit out of it. Purely fan based.
A/N:
WOW! 16 comments, 22 alerts and 15 favs! I'm doing better than I thought! Thanks for the support! That's what's keeping me writing and all! All my stalkers: please review! Just drop a word, any word, and I would be happy.
I think the battle part of this chapter should have been included in the last chapter. My friend (3151) pointed out how the story haven't advanced at all in the last chap. My apologies for it. But anyway, I have been working hard on this chapter. The battle part was really hard. But honestly, I think I did better than on last chapter. Seriously last chapter was just fail, think this one as a rewrite, or part 2.
I had what I see people call "a writer's block". Meaning: I was stuck there with no ideas. I have vaguely knowledge of where the story is going. But these what I call "small details" (which aren't really small actually) are missing. I would probably have it for next few chapters too, since I seem to have a big gap. My plot is changing as I go on… So it's time to start influencing me.
Also, I need a beta reader to correct my mistakes. My English isn't very good, so I seriously need help.
Anyway, Chapter, start!
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Turn 3: Mystery
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2023 A.T.B, inside the Parliament, Pendragon, Holy Empire of Britannia.
He suddenly understood.
He waved at the cameras.
"Cut it off! Cut-" However it was too late. From over the giant screen outside the building, the face of a white masked man appeared. He had the same expressionless face as his black counterpart: the same inhuman… no, Godlike mask. Though from where he was, Suzaku couldn't see it, the voice, however, he heard it loud and clear.
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"I AM ZERO!"
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Under his mask, Suzaku gritted his teeth. A new enemy has appeared. Yes. It had to be an enemy: what other reason would they attack the Empress and the UFN?
He adverted his concentration else where. His first priority was to secure the empress, no matter what the cost. He had promised Lelouch he would look after her, and he won't break his promise.
"Su- I mean, Zero?" the girl behind him started a bit hesitantly, asking silently what he was going to do.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. We will get you somewhere safe."
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Outside, near the Parliament of Britannia, Pendragon
All over the cities, the armed forces has been informed that a mysterious Knightmare appeared. The way it looked was unlike what was ever seen. An unknown prototype. A tenth generation Knightmare frame.
The first squad to be present faced the Knightmare in a strait line. The team was composed with eleven Vincents and one Vincent Ward, which was obviously the leader, all painted in the colors of the Royal Guards. One Knightmare against so many would be an easy one sided fight. And it was true. For the 10th generation Knightmare that is.
A voice announced in an open channel, "You dared to attack Her Majesty and the UFN council on such a holy day! Surrender now and by Her Majesty's mercy, will be granted a chance to live!"
However, the mysterious white Knightmare didn't answer at all. Instead, without any noticeable efforts, the Knightmare jumped from within the flames and reduced the space between the squad and itself. The group tried to stop it by firing their Needle Blazers, but was deflected by a strange blue shield. The angelic Knightmare landed on its knee and withdrew its double blades, which started to glow a mystifying blue, and cut in half the first Knightmare. The cut was so clean, that the Knightmare continued to move for a moment, before it split in two, and showing the stupefied pilot inside who just barely avoided death.
The 10th generation frame was then attacked by a slash harkens from his left, which he immediately dodged before giving it the same fate as the first attacker. Seeing this, the Vincents backed down, before attacking again in a new formation.
"Delta formation!" the commander ordered to his subordinates.
"Yes, my lord!" they answered in chorus.
They surrounded the 10th gen frame and launched their slash harkens all at the same time, making it difficult to doge every at the same time. To make it harder, the leader jumped and attacked from the top.
However, they were surprised when the angelic Knightmare suddenly fired one of its own slash harkens towards the one jumping on him. It was even more surprising when the 10th generation frame used the Vincent Ward as a pivoting point and hoisted itself away from its enemies. Benefiting from the momentary surprise, the angelic frame made a physic defying move as it suddenly seemed to disappear and reappeared when it sliced half of the Knightmares. Seeing this, one of the Vincent charged with its VARIS sword, but again was deflected by the glowing blue shield. The Knightmare replied with its double swords again. The four left were now not so obviously panicking. They had good Knightmares and yet, this new frame seemed very much better, so easily reacting to their moves. An other one got its limbs cut, before the pilot decided to make his Vincent explode and ejecting. Of course, this didn't seem to have done much damage. Only three Knightmares left.
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Inside the Parliament, Pendragon, Britannia.
"...see all these people here, people of all colors, all origins, gathered, and united."
Yes, united. That was what they were here for. To be together! However, this white impostor claimed it to be a lie! If it was possible, he would kick this person for spitting on the world that Lelouch and Euphie wished for.
They were now both off the stage. Suzaku was carrying Nunally in his arms, running away and shielding her at the same time. Running while carrying something was no hard task for his stamina, but it was difficult when you're trying to protect a girl. He eyed at Colonel Kyoshiro Tohdoh, who was organizing the evacuation. When he saw him, he gave him a nod which told to secure the Empress, while the other 'less important people' (like other random diplomats and non UFN members that still attended) were being evacuated through the front door. They were the last of them, trailing behind the other UFN participants that were running out like crazy. Zero could only give a grunt of annoyance to the representatives. Suzaku was a soldier so he didn't really like disorganized situations.
"Quick, sir!"
Suzaku ran off inside the 'secret passage' a small hall that was made for these special times where you needed to escape. Thought it was more like 'emergency exit', since it was in no way a secret.
The Japanese man ran as fast as he could while protecting his Empress in his arms. He was the shield that protected her from the pieces of the ceiling that were falling on him oh-so-often now. But he didn't care. Her safety was above his.
Just as he was about to reach the end, as he saw the broad day light from a distance, an other BOOM happened this time right above them. Rocks and debris multiplied and came crashing on them. The source of light was being cut off and they will be buried if they didn't act. But even that few seconds were cut short, as a large portion of the cement ceiling broke down and headed right on them. Time slowed down for both of them. Guards shouted in the background, and explosions echoed. Even Nunally let out a crying shout. But Suzaku didn't hear them. He didn't hear anything.
Only a single word rang in his head, as red rings surrounded his eyes.
LIVE!
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Outside, near the Parliament of Britannia, Pendragon
It was a one side slaughter. Only one Knightmare was left to fight the enemy.
One Vincent ward against a tenth generation Knightmare.
Earnestine Clinton gritted his teeth as all of his men were out of action. He knew he didn't stand a chance but he had to try. He would hold off for them to get here, whatever the cost. He closed his eyes and muttered some sort of prayer. He had to get out of this alive, for the sake of his wife and his two children. Then, he charged towards the enemy frame with all his will. The enemy's twin blades were facing him now; there was no way to evade it. Time seemed to slow down, as his life flashed before his eyes. However, luck was on his side for once.
They had reinforcements.
Three squad of Knightmare bearing the same colors came to his rescue, and fired at the enemy. This stopped from harming the Vincent Ward.
"Are you alright, Lord Clinton, sir?" asked one of the newly arrived commanders on a private channel.
Lord Earnestine Clinton, the one who was piloting the Vincent Ward, was glad to see reinforcements coming. He knew one squad alone was no match for that 10th generation frame, yet alone one single damaged Vincent Ward. Actually, he doubted that that three more squad would make any difference. But that was not what mattered. The only thing need to do was to survive and to buy enough time for the Knights of the Rounds to get there. It would take a while, since none of the Rounds had duties with their Knightmare that day, since they had to attend the official ceremony and parade, and thus it would take time for them to arrive.
"Yes, I am, Lord McDivitt," he greeted with a sigh. "Be careful, this Knightmare is unusually fast, even if it really is a 10th generation one."
"We will be." Lord Neil McDivitt confirmed, before switching over an other channel so all of their troops could hear.
"Alright! The enemy is an unknown Knightmare, probably a 10th generation frame. Its capacities and weapons are still unknown, so be prepared for any kind of attacks. Be prepared. We will aim to destroy. However, our main priority is to hold on until Her Majesty's Knights of the Round arrive! Do not engage in single combat! Am I clear?"
"Yes, my Lord!"
At this, the enemy Knightmare already began to move again. The first squad came into a V formation against it, trying again to fire at the enemy unit. The white Knightmare dodged this and counterattacked with its own riffle. The team broke formation and advanced towards it. At this same moment, an other squad of Vincents profited of the moment the 10th gen frame was occupied to strike from behind. Quickly realizing the diversion, it spun its land spinners towards the right, and struck a Vincent that showed an opening. The pilot ejected before the Knightmare exploded.
Obviously, the squad that was just half destroyed was in no way to fight: having lost all of their members except one, they couldn't assemble into a right formation, so would only be a hindrance to the operation. But that didn't mean they couldn't assist from afar and profit from small openings.
"He's heading for point 6E! Team Alpha! Head towards point 7E. Strike when he reaches there!" shouted the voice on Lord Clinton's radio. He had his Knightmare a bit further from the battle, as if he was watching everything. "Team Bravo, push him towards point C9 after Team Alpha strikes!"
Team Alpha obeyed and stroke. However, the Knightmare proved tougher than they thought. It remained unscratched. The 10th gen frame jumped back as one of the Vincents shed its VARIS sword and pared the strike with its own double blades. The Vincent's teammates supported him by firing shots all around, making the enemy evade again. It served its purpose, as team Bravo pushed it towards the intended point.
"Team Charlie! Strike the floor on C9! Now!"
The squads aimed at it with their riffle and a rain of shots was fired, causing the floor to collapse, taking the Knightmare that was standing there with it.
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"Now, I call check," Lelouch said, as he firmly put down the black king piece on his table. He smirked at the shiny little IFF signals on the screen.
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Outside the Parliament, Pendragon, Britannia.
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"This is no true justice!"
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'Then what is justice?' he screamed internally, after regaining his self-conciousness. He was painting hard after the almost impossible stunt he just pulled off as his 'live-on geass' was activated. The geass had calmed down after he dodged the explosion with Nunally in his arms. They were both fine, and Nunally even almostl unharmed except maybe a few scratch.
They were now outside, a bit away from the explosions, out off harm. He should be relieved about Nunally being safe, but at the moment, the only thing in his mind was 'Zero'. They could now clearly see the big screen and the white figure that was speaking.
He could already see the Knightmares from far.
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Outside, near the Parliament of Britannia, Pendragon
For a moment, the field was completely silent, something that contrasted highly from just a few seconds ago, as the guards waited to see the result of their battle. As the dust cleared, they were awed at the result. Not even a single scratch could be seen on their enemy. It still stood there with all its majesty. Had it acted now and then, it would be able to catch them completely off-guard. And yet, their enemy flew away, retreated from the battle. It took them a moment to understand why.
The Knights of the Round.
Three Knights of the Round came flying towards them and chased the white killing machine. Even if they only had 9th generation frames, their skills will be on pair with him. They would be able to destroy or capture the enemy.
Seeing even more reinforcement coming in, the enemy seemed wanting to retreat. Noticing this, the royal guards acted. However, to their surprise, before anyone could order either retreat or pursue, the angelic Knightmare turned towards them once again.
It looked as it emerged from the flames that was now in place of what was previously named the Parliament of Britannia. To the UFN that had evacuated outside, it was really as such an archangel had descended from the heavens to pass on judgment.
It was now high in the air, its six energy wings spread from behind, forming an arc behind its back. The wings emitted a bold and strong blue light. The light grew stronger and stronger, until the contour of the Knightmare was barely visible in the bold light.
"…So join me! Together, we can purge the world! Purge the world from its lies, to not forget the forgotten, to live on the will of the dead!"
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"That's-" was all Lord McDivitt managed to say, before millions upon millions of particles of light exploded in a sphere.
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"WE WILL BRING JUSTICE!"
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And then everything went off.
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"… been five hours since the explosion on the Parliament of Britannia, where the UFN was holding an event on the fifth anniversary of Lelouch Vi Britannia's death. There's been no news currently on the incident. We have been unable to contact anyone near the area of the attack. We have yet to confirm the safety of all the UFN members present during the attack..."
"Dam it."
The raven haired boy cursed again, as he turned away from the TV. He was so concentrated that he didn't even yell at the green haired girl that was only oversized wearing a shirt-his shirt- that was eating a slice of pizza on his bed, as always.
There had been no real news on it since the bright explosion he had seen in that battle. Even he wasn't sure about what happened. Everything inside 1 km radius of the explosion was off. No communication or anything passed through that area. It's like there was a rift in space, or a hole in that place.
Like it was wiped out by the Fleyja.
He was lucky that the hotel that they stayed in wasn't inside that radius. But he was worried to death about them. About Nunally. There was no news on them. He himself can't even get out from his room (for obvious reasons like avoiding attention and not getting discovered as the demon emperor even if he did have his face mask on).
And thus, since he couldn't get information on it from the public, he did the only other thing that could het him such information: he hacked into the highly confidential BK database.
He gasped at the sight the ever-growing number on the screen that indicated the numbers of victims.
He closed his eyes, unsure how to react on it.
8 059 people.
At the same time, in the background, the voice of the random reporter rang again. "We have breaking news! We have just received a brief report on the-"
He laughed.
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Half an hour later, in a building near the parliament incident, Pendragon.
Suzaku Kururugi stared dumbly from behind his mask.
"What's this?" he asked, raising a demanding eyebrow inside his mask.
"This seems to be a report we received a few days ago, sir. Someone leaked the information of a possible attack."
'An information leaker? How did someone get hold of such information? Even the Black Knights didn't know of anything. We only halfway suspected a possibility, based on assumptions and theories.'
"Why weren't I warned about this?"
The Black Knight cowered as his superior snapped.
"We... didn't deem it necessary, sir."
"And why's that?"
"Because... it was on a forum of some sorts, so we deemed it as one of those jokes, like all the others we see usually."
'On a forum?' Suzaku thought. "I want to know the exact details of the information. I want to know who leaked it and from where. Get it done before the meeting in two hours."
"Ye-yes sir."
"You're dismissed."
The poor soldier quickly exited the room. Suzaku closed his eyes for a moment and tried to arrange the information in his brain. It has been almost half a day since the incident at the bitannian parliament. The worth was that they now tell him the incident might have been prevented.
It all happened so fast for him to grasp the entire situation clearly. But one thing he was sure: this white Zero was a treat.
With only one single Knightmare, he struck their army to the core. One kilometer radius of equipment jam. Every single electronic and sakuradite based machines went off. Even till now, no one seemed robe able to repair anything.
The numbers jumped from his papers. Thought it wasn't too accurate, it was still a decent one. The big 8 059 was bright and clear.
8 059 people.
8 059 injured.
And no casualties.
Zero nearly lost his helmet when seeing this. He had been sure that lots people died from it. But from his reports, it seemed that the whole incident had no casualties. Make that lots of injured, but better off injured than dead. He was surprised when this came in, because it was clear that whoever planned this could have all those present at the Parliament killed if he wanted to. Either it was really an act of mercy or that wannabe was mocking them. Well, at least they are all alive. As the leader of the Black Knights, it was his job to make sure that none of the representatives were dead or missing. Luckily, none did.
If he could use the word luckily.
Because he knew this wasn't a matter of luck. It was as if everything was neatly timed. The enemy made sure there were no casualties. A pacifist? He doubted. No, it was a show. Everything had been a show.
There was a big problem now that this was made public. (News was released to public just moments ago) The white Zero had made quite a speech, he had to admit. There had been no public manifestation, but there was no doubt that it had made its impact. People still had hate buried in their heart, and the speech stirred it up. Even five years after the Zero Requiem, some people just couldn't move on. They were happy about the peace, but how can one be at peace when everyone you wanted to share the peace with was now gone? It had been a truth of the Zero Requiem, both he and Lelouch knew, but he didn't think that would be the one point their newest enemy would attack. Vengeance was a vicious circle. Now that this circle was again triggered, he would have to do everything he could to stop them. The whole 'no causalities' thing would have even more people gain his support.
The memories of the whole event still flashed in his mind.
-Flash back-
The sky was illuminated by a huge flash of light.
'Those cowards! A bomb!' he gasped. 'Is this an other Fleyja bomb? That would mean millions of casualties! That bastard!' But it was top late.
"I'm sorry; I've failed you, Lelouch."
He closed his eyes as he waited for death. But it never came.
The blue light died down. His eyes slowly adjusted from the light of the explosion, something that his helmet helped, being equipped with advanced light adjustment system. He looked around. People all over were all frozen in their place, eyes wide from shock. No doubt they all thought they were going to die like he did.
But he was alive. They all were.
'What? Not a Fleyja bomb? Then what is...'
Then he saw it. He saw the reason behind the bomb, it was not just a flashy light, it had some purposes, devastating puposes.
Some of Knightmares stood still, while light electric bolts flayed around now and then. Other crashed down. There was a stunned silence from those who were present, not knowing what happened. No a single city noise, not a single hum of the machines were heard.
It took a while before their brains proceeded to catch on what happened: none of the machines were working. From Knightmares to communication devices such as cellphones, or even cars. Every kind of electricity based and Sakuradite based ones were neutralized.
And the White Knightmare was nowhere to be seen.
-End-
That was why that Knightmare was scary. Not for its speed, not for its various fighting equipment, nor anything else. It was that flashing bomb-like weapon that neutralized all the machines. Had the enemy wanted to act, it would be the perfect opening to strike.
He had no doubt that that thing could wipe out an entire army. But the Knightmare itself was not what was scary: no matter what they would still have the numbers. Now what they needed to know, was the enemy they were facing. The question was: where did this White Zero guy get his funding, his support? He knew that many countries still hold a grudge towards Britannia, even if they didn't show it publically. It takes no genius to know that old hate didn't just fade away. They were just giving Britannia a chance to redeem itself, and they did so because the gentleness of the current Empress. But if they were given a chance, some would strike back for sure: either for revenge for what Britannia did in the past, or for the glory of dominating the Empire that formerly occupied one third of the world. And thus, it would be logical for one of them, if not, for many of them, to be funding Shiro. But who would also hurt the UFN? Yes, the UFN had been present in the incident. Even if many were still against Britannia; only a few -if not, none- wanted the UFN to crumble. It was just too beneficial for a country to have the world as an ally. That was specially the case for the smallest countries, which were more fighting for their survival than to gamble on an impossible strike like this one, so it eliminated most of them. That would leave the EU, the Chinese Federation and Australia. The EU was against the UFN at the beginning and only recently did it join, when a bit more than half of the countries in the EU voted in favor. Then, there was the Chinese Federation, which was starting to regain the glory after the crumbling five years ago. Zero knew that the Empress and her faithful general were in for peace, but it was not guaranteed that all of her subjects were. And finally: Australia, the only country that hadn't been affected by the world-wide war. And one of the countries that didn't join the UFN. That country was a mystery in itself, being isolated from the world. And that was what made them dangerous.
Of course, there was also the possibility that White Zero was a lone terrorist. That he didn't have a backup, only a few Knightmares and a few men. If that was the case, then the 10th generation Knightmare frame was the most dangerous part of it. Yes, setting all other problems aside, like who was funding the project, it was that special ability of this Knightmare that was frightening. He needed to find a counter measure for it.
And he knew the perfect person for the job. He picked up his phone.
"Rakshata... Yes, I would like to see you after the meeting... Yes, the bomb... And I would also like to know if there's any way a Knightmare can vanish from the eyes of hundreds of people..."
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Two hours later, Black Knights internal meeting
The meetings of the Black Knights took place over a rounded table. A total of six people attended it. They were all influential people in the Black Knights. There was Kaguya Sumeragi, the chairman if the UFN, Kyoshiro Tohdoh, the second in command of the Black Knights, Li Xingke and Kaname Oghi, who were 'honorary' members of the Black Knights, and of course, Zero. Zero held a weird position in the BK organization. Because he was Empress Nunally's advisor and body guard, he wasn't a full pledged leader. As an excuse for being with Britannia, he explained that Britannia's Empress asked his guidance so she could rule in peace. Schneizel el Britannia, was also present, standing behind, at Zero's right. He was Zero's personal advisor, a position that most of them questioned, since Zero and the prince were former mortal enemies, but then again, it was no surprise to them because they suspected that this Zero wasn't as good as the previous one.
(N/A: No character description. Assuming that none has really changed, except for being older)
"We have no information or what so ever on this new Zero," Li Xingke stated. "The research team have been looking for any possible trace of the mysterious frame, but we have found none."
"Have they checked the underground irrigation?" inquired Kaguya Sumeragi.
"Yes, but without luck. He hasn't left any kind of trail. Not even a single trace. It's as if he teleported."
"It should be nearly impossible for it to just disappear in thin air!" said Kaname Ohgi. "Not with the hundreds of eyes watching it! Thought our eyes might have been focusing elsewhere, at least one or two people should have seen it!" The Japanese man was very useful in these meetings. He knew the job he had in these meetings was 'to state the obvious'. Not that he was stupid, not at all. But there just has to be one person who does it, when no one of the 'super-duper-badass-intelligent-elite team' does. He was also the most timid and cautious one, but then again, he was just a teacher in the beginning.
"But he's done it. I don't know how, but he's pulled it off. Under the eyes of hundreds of people," Kyoshiro Tohdoh sighed. Colonel Kyoshiro Tohdoh was usually the one in command in the Black Knights, as Zero's was more often by Nunally vi Britannia's side. Only in important situations like the one today, would Zero come back to the BK.
"I'm worried about the treat this new Zero may represent," the Chinese general said.
"Why would someone use the same name and mask as Zero? It's clearly an insult to Zero's name," asked Ohgi.
"No, I doubt it is an insult," said Tohdoh. "It's more like he's borrowing Zero's name and fame. He seeks attention. The World is interested in what he is doing; with that costume and that name he has attracted enough attention. Added with the new weapon he posses, it makes people treat him seriously."
"Not that I wish it happened otherwise, but not making a single casualty doesn't scare people. He's been looked upon like a joke," said the prime minister of Japan.
"Don't forget Zero was seen as a joke when he first started too," the Chinese Black Knight answered.
"Yes, I know that," regretted the former resistance member with a darker tone, as the memories of Zero's old days rushed in his mind.
Tohdoh frowned. "I say it's more like a show of power. He's saying 'I can win this without a single drop of blood being shed'. He has enough skill to do that means he is powerful. He would be less frightening if he did kill people."
He continued, "Not only that. He claims to also be an ally of justice. If he makes no causalities, then it's just going to prove it right. He can gain supports from both the scared, who will be afraid of his unknown powers, and the pacifists, who might would approve of his ways of dealing, or at least they won't see him as an enemy. Of course, that is excluding all the avengers who would love to get a bite of Britannia."
"So in other words..." Ohgi whispered.
"...he's treating us like kids," Xingke finished. "Like nothing more but some flies that are roaming around."
"More like stepping stones, but yes, that's it," Tohdoh said.
"Maybe, but at least there are no casualties..." Oghi assured.
"Maybe, but that doesn't mean anything yet."
"But..."
"Even if he did nothing till now, there's no guarantee that he won't use any dirty methods or start killing," Kaguya answered in the other's place. "By then, those who choose to not act won't have enough power to oppose him. Even the pacifist will bow down to him in fear."
"Then all we have to do is to act before he does more harm," Xingke responded firmly. "Before he gets more chance to prove he's more than just show."
"But how?" Kaguya mused out loud. "We don't even have a clue about where the Knightmare comes from."
"There's not many people in the world that could afford such a technology," the Chinese man pointed out. "What's surprising is that he managed to develop a tenth generation frame before us. To do so he would have very talented scientists to look over it."
The Japanese Colonel shook his head. "No, it's already been five years since the first 9th generation frames came out. No doubt, he would have time to build it, even if he didn't have people as talented as Lloyd Asplund and Rakshata Chawla. The only reason we don't have more advanced Knightmares is due to the international ban of further researching on battle-type Knightmares."
"Then that widens the numbers of people who are possibly involved in this," sighed Xingke as he closed his eyes.
"Yes, many countries could be behind this," the girl confirmed. "It's not surprising to find those who still seek war despite everything that happened."
"If that is true then this new Zero isn't the real treat. We might be facing an entire set of countries or a well-organized group, not just one person. He must be a spoke man if some sorts."
"No. Whoever this is, I get a feeling that he isn't just a spoke person. His tone was more that of a leader than just some politician. He reminds me if the first Zero," said Tohdoh as his sharp intuition kicked in.
There was an awkward silence in the room for a moment.
"The first Zero is dead," Ohgi spat. "Whoever this one is doesn't have any link with the one we knew."
"Enough of that." Zero commanded in a firm voice, speeking for the first timebin the meeting. This caused everyone in the room to stop and to stared at the masked vigilante. The Second Zero wasn't someone who liked to speak. He preferred actions to words. "Yes, I agree. I believe that Shiro is at least a high ranking member if we really are facing an organization."
"Shiro? Ah... White..." Tohdoh quirked a brow, then came into realization.
"Yes, that's the name that the public is now calling the White Zero, to avoid confusion," the chairman of the UFN smiled.
"Ah... Not a very creative name, I should say," the Colonel chuckled.
"I think it's a fitting name! They're already using it on the Internet instead of 'the White Zero'!" said Kaguya with a glee.
"That reminds me..." Zero trailed off, as he took off a document from under his cape. "We might have someone who has a lead."
Everyone eyed him closely when he pulled out from under his cape, a document of some sort. He paused for a moment as if to review the information on it again before continuing, "I have received a report on someone posting on the Internet about the attack."
"A coincidence?" the prime minister of USJ stated, more than asked.
"That's what I thought too. But upon seeing this, I hardly doubt it," the masked man replied, as he handed down the said-file. "This one was described in some accurate details. Such as the exact location, the approximate time, the number of enemy Knightmares involved. The post time was almost a week ago, on a small Black Knights fan site."
The papers were passed from hand to hand.
"Interesting," smiled Li Xingke.
Zero noticed their eyes open up a little wider and laughed inwardly at this. He himself was surprised to have found such a good piece of information. They were lucky to have gotten a lead soon after that incident.
Upon reviewing the document when it ended in his hands, Kyodhiro Tohdoh chuckled slightly. "So... if this is not s fluke, then it could either be information leak, or someone is helping us."
"Or, it could be a trap," said Ohgi, who was always the most cautious man of the group.
Kyoshiro Tohdoh closed his eyes for a moment, and then reached his conclusion, "I believe there are four most possible reasons. One: someone from the inside the organization leaked this information. Either spy or a traitor."
"I doubt this is likely," continued Li Xingke. "It is a possibility we should consider. But if it is true, then the organization has to be big enough to allow a spy or a traitor."
"Two, the other possibility, is that we have an unknown benefactor that's helping us, someone who knows more on this than we do. He's either leaking information so that someone can help, or it is a message left to a specific organization or an accomplice."
"Oh! Than we are lucky!" exclaimed Kaguya with an obvious glee. This made the others shook their heads with a small smile, before Tohdoh continued,
"Three, like Oghi said, this can be a trap that the enemy left out for us and he is waiting for us to take the bait. Professionals usually don't just leave information lying around. I won't be surprised if not a single trace could be found. I believe you won't be able whoever posted it. If he really is in this, then he wouldn't have allowed it to simply happen. And if he is traced, I doubt it might be on purpose. It could all be a trap to lure us out. Or this can be a provocation. The enemy is daring us to act."
They all nodded in agreement.
"So what should we do?"
"I suggest to wait and observe the activities of this person. We do not want to alert whoever he is. If the information he holds on is accurate, then we will capture him. If not, then we will have evaded a trap."
They all agreed.
Zero just stayed silent. 'Somehow, I get a familiar feeling from this Zero... He's too familiar... Right, Lelouch?'
.
.
The meetings ended without much incident. Even if not very far ahead, they at least got some clue in this Shiro Zero case. Maybe not directly, but they might be able to find that someone who was involved in all of this.
He entered in deep thoughts as he walked in the corridors that led to his personnel dorms. It was the place he usually stays when he was with the Black Knights. His personal headquarters in the base. It had heavy security, many different kind of locks, that included fingerprint scans, weight scan, complicated coded locks and even a few that needed to be opened with keys in a specific order. Zero would almost laugh at the absurd security if it didn't also help to keep his identity safe.
As he walked and mused, he failed to notice the person who trailed behind him, following his steps. He almost jumped when he heard the voice of that person extremely close behind. He turned to see a tall blond man bowing respectfully at him.
"Master Zero."
"Ah, it's you, prince Schneizel."
"What do you think of the meeting?"
"It was as expected," the prince stated simply with his trademark pokerface.
Since the death of the Demon Emperor, Schneizel had been following Zero around like a devoted pawn, to many people's surprise. The second prince was more a leader, a king, not some kind of mindless minion. But Lelouch had geassed him into a complete slave that followed Zero wherever they went. But of course, that helped the second Zero, who was... well, a blockhead compared to the previous Zero. So he often used Schneizel's advices, and it worked out well. The Japanese man sometimes wondered who was 'the master' here, despite being called 'master Zero'. And if course, here it would be like a prince demanding to know if his subordinate's meeting went well. That is, if he didn't know better. Lelouch had cast his geass on his older brother to make him a slave bound to Zero. Schneizel often gave him the feeling that he was the one in control. But that, he reasoned, was just in Schneizel's nature.
"Was there any important progress in my absence?" the masked man asked.
"Not much. We still haven't traced the one who hacked in our database."
"Untraceable, huh?" he whispered to himself. "Not only did he hack in it... So the enemy knows our moves. That would be dangerous."
"Also, Her Majesty request to know when you'll be returning."
"Ah... Yes, tell her I'll be visiting tomorrow. The situation on hand might take some time, so I won't be with her for a while."
"Yes, master Zero." The Britannian prince bowed respectfully, before turning and leaving the masked man to his duties.
'So who are you, White Ze-, no, Shiro? What do you hope to achieve?'
The white prince walked back in the shadows. And no one saw the same passive and smiling face he was wearing, with the same unreadable expression he always bore.
.
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N/A: Ok, ok, I admit the story still isn't advancing much. But hey, at least I did better than the last chap.
Can someone tell me how that brief little battle scene was?Or a critic?
It hurt my head when I wrote this. I rewrote this whole chapter lots if times, repositioning, adding, cutting off parts. I admit I'm a perfectionist. That's why it takes me so long for one single chapter. Also, if anyone cared to notice, the chapters are slowly getting longer. (And let's just put aside the crappy title)
I had a feeling Ohgi was OOC. Either way, I think I made him say things Tamaki would usually say... But hey, it's important for the conversation to continue. Also, there's not much Lelouch in this chap. But he's more involved than he appears.
I know some things/actions the characters does don't make sense... yet. But everything will clear up. Also I would love to hear your theories on the plot. I love to see what you people think. Let's see how obvious the story is.
Also... Can someone make a profile or something for my 10 gen Knightmare? Since I don't know a thing about mecha...
So READ AND REVIEW!
It makes me happy, and I will have more inspiration!