Chapter Four: Zero Man Army
"Dammit!" Suzaku shouted, forcing the clumsy trailer into a sharp left turn.
Suzaku had to put some distance between him and the warehouse. The Knightpolice would be searching the nearby area to try and find him, and without the Lancelot he was practically defenseless against their armor. Speeding through Shinjuku, he slammed his fist on the dash of the vehicle.
He never should have allowed her to go in there. It should have been him there, captured and at the mercy of those treacherous thugs. Kallen could have stayed in the trailer, guiding him as he cleared the warehouse, but Suzaku had known she wouldn't have liked that. He'd let his guard down, trying to please her by letting her play the role she would have wanted, and he couldn't even say why he wanted her to have her way.
Because she's the only one who knows…
A loud tone startled him, and it took Suzaku a moment to realize it was his earpiece announcing an incoming call. He reached up, quickly tapping the side of it and slamming on the brakes of the trailer. Had she gotten away from them somehow?
"Kallen?" Suzaku asked, his voice carefully even.
"No, it's Ohgi. What happened? We lost contact with the police, and couldn't get through again."
"It was a trap." Suzaku said, moving back into the trailer. "They have Kozuki and the Lancelot."
"My God," The man replied, his voice cracking. "What about the Knightpolice?"
"Who do you think ambushed her? Aside from them, who else knew of this operation, Ohgi?"
The man stumbled over his words, obviously flustered by Zero calling him by his name for the first time. No doubt he figured that if Zero was that concerned then things definitely weren't good.
"Nobody except you and Kallen, and Tohdoh. You don't think he would…"
"No, it wasn't Tohdoh. I think this betrayal is coming from corruption in the police."
"What do we do now?"
"I installed a tracking device in the Lancelot." Suzaku said, as he pulled up the scope that maintained the Knightmare's position. "I'm going after her."
"Alone? That's suicide. I'll mobilize my people here, and send them to meet you."
"There's no time. If I don't go now, it might be too late."
"Too late…"
"I'll contact you again when I have her." Suzaku said, yanking the earpiece off and jogging to a nearby cabinet.
The terrorists couldn't use the Lancelot without the activation code, which only he and Kallen knew. Suzaku trusted that the girl was too strong willed to give them any information, but if they somehow got her to talk, the Knightmare was the least of his worries.
Suzaku Kururugi died during the battle for the Damocles Sword, and he hadn't been hailed as a hero. If it came to light that he was actually Zero, everything that he and Nunnally had built would crumble away in an instant. The world would be cast into turmoil, believing he was carrying out the Demon Emperor's wishes from beyond the grave. Nations would turn on each other, and his friend's sacrifice would be worth nothing.
Greater than that however, and to Suzaku's surprise, was his concern for Kallen. He'd spent the past year as Zero, a ghost of an ideal with the flesh of a man, and his top priority should have been maintaining that secret. Yet he could think of nothing but rescuing the girl, and realized that his secret fell into a distant second.
Throwing the cabinet doors open, Suzaku began pulling out everything he would need. If the Knightpolice went along with the terrorists to wherever they were taking Kallen, nothing inside of it would help him. He was betting that the police would try to avoid such blatant involvement, and use political channels to refute any claims he made against them. If his theory was correct, and the terrorists didn't have any Knightmares on hand, he could save her.
I might not be able to form an elaborate plan like Lelouch could, but I'm still Zero. Hang on Kallen, I'm coming.
Opening her eyes slowly, Kallen winced at the throbbing pain in the side of her head. It took her a moment to get her bearings, and to notice her arms had been bound. She sat in a high backed chair, thin rope tightly trapping her wrists on the armrests. Yanking against them, she quickly realized that there was no way she was getting out on her own. The chair had been bolted to the floor, and struggling against the rope only served to rub her wrists raw.
Taking a deep breath, Kallen sat back, closing her eyes and biting down on the pulsing in her head. Suzaku said he would come, and she had no choice but to trust him. If nothing else, she knew that he was tireless and tenacious. There was only one other person she could trust to stop at nothing to save her, and he was long dead. The sound of a door opening caused those tired lids to snap open, as a familiar form stepped into the room.
"I know you…" Kallen said through a haze of pain.
"I'm surprised you remember me."
The girl squinted at him, trying to put a name to the man's face. His hair was shorter than last she'd seen it, and it was difficult to recognize him no longer in a ridiculous Britannian uniform, but she quickly recalled his name.
"Kanon Maldini?"
"Indeed."
"That means… is Schneizel…?"
"No, no, I'm afraid not." The man said, shaking his head slowly. "Lelouch's Geass saw to it that his brother would never interfere with Zero's affairs. Oh, while we're on the subject of Zero…"
"Go to hell." Kallen spat, raising her chin. "I'm not telling you anything."
"No," Kanon replied, sighing. "I suppose you won't speak a word against your beloved Zero, will you?"
"You got that right, but if you untie me maybe we can discuss it." Kallen shot back, leaning forward and scowling at him.
"So unladylike." Kanon noted with a small laugh. "No matter, I doubt you know who he is anyway. However, there is something I'd like to find out, and I can promise that you will tell me about this."
Kallen struggled against her bonds, as Kanon reached for something in a deep pocket, stalking toward her with a smirk.
Suzaku sized up the building, quietly making his way through the dark alley that ran alongside it. What had once been an office building of some sort was now nothing more than a haven for squatters, lying inside the core of Shinjuku, outside of the current construction area. He'd tracked the Lancelot, and prayed silently that Kallen was here as well. A cool breeze drifted through shattered windows and gaping holes in the structure, a testament to the battle that had ravaged the area years before.
Finding the window he was seeking, Suzaku took a few steps back, and sprinted ahead. He hit the wall running, feet scrabbling for purchase as he ascended the wall, snaring the sill with one hand. It took little effort to hoist his slimly muscled form up, rolling lithely into the building.
There was no sign of any of the terrorists on the second story hallway, and Suzaku darted quickly toward the center of the building. Black cape billowing out behind him, he sidled up to the expansive lobby, glancing over the low wall to the floor below. As expected, the Lancelot stood in the center of the entrance, along with a pair of men.
Turning, he quickly placed the small device on the wall behind him, switching it on before he crept around the balcony, to the other side overlooking the lobby. There he set the second liquid sakuradite explosive, checking to be sure the detonator wouldn't accidentally trigger in the coming minutes.
Standing slowly, Suzaku judged the fall and distance as best he could, and vaulted over the railing. He dropped silently, landing only a few paces from one of the men and rolling to break his fall, coming up just as the shocked terrorist turned. Jamming his elbow into the man's throat, Suzaku snatched the rifle from his grasp even as his adversary fell to the ground, gasping.
A quick burst from the rifle took the second man out, and then the clock was ticking. The shots echoed throughout the room, no doubt alerting everyone within the building to his infiltration. If he could get into the Lancelot before anyone else showed up, it would all be over in minutes.
He turned toward the Knightmare at the exact moment it moved, the pilot within slow on the uptake after his two cohorts had been taken out. Suzaku dove back, narrowly avoiding being crushed as the foot of the Lancelot crashed down, tearing up the tile floor. He rolled to his feet, reaching into his belt as the pilot raised the left arm of the mechanized unit.
Dammit, they got the code.
Suzaku backpeddled as the slash harken was fired, and he was relieved to see that the man piloting his Knightmare was terrible. He lunged forward as the weapon was retracted, gloved hand wrapping tightly around the cable and yanking him up. Suzaku used the momentum to fling himself up, pulling a bulky rectangular device from his belt.
He landed on the Knightmare's shoulder, and quickly dropped down to hang from the gap along the breast section, swinging like a pendulum across its torso. As the Lancelot's arm came up to try and grab him, Suzaku slapped the miniature Gefjun disturber onto its chest. He flipped up onto the opposite shoulder as the older Lancelot, not equipped with the proper countermeasures, grinded to a halt. So much for taking his Knightmare back first.
With that out of the way, he leapt from the Knightmare to the balcony again, sprinting down the hall in search of his real objective. Shouted voices sounded throughout the building, as the terrorists began searching for their intruder. Shouldering a door open, Suzaku jogged up an emergency staircase. He wasn't sure where Kallen was being held, but nothing beyond the third floor seemed to be in habitable condition, so it was likely that was where he would find her.
Kicking the third floor door inward, he almost ran right into another terrorist. Suzaku planted his foot against the hallway wall, bounding up as the man went for his pistol. He spun in mid air, slamming his foot against the side of his foe's head, rendering him unconscious instantly. Suzaku hit the ground running, the darkness of the hallway compounded by the visor on his mask.
"We gotta take the girl and go!"
"He said to guard the door. It's just one man."
"One man? It's Zero!"
Suzaku sidled up a turn in the passage, pressing himself against the wall. Judging by their voices, the two men were a short distance down the next hall. Taking a calming breath, Suzaku unclasped the cape from his neck, drawing a pistol from his belt.
He spun away from the wall, hurling the heavy cape toward the man on the left even as he fired at the second. Two shots left the barrel of his gun, taking the terrorist in the chest as his friend fired blindly toward the cape. Rounds tore through the the cloth, eating away at the wall before Suzaku was spun by a stray shot. The bullet caught him in the shoulder and he fell, adjusting his aim and firing one more shot to catch the man in the throat. The terrorist went down with a rasping cry, blood pouring down his shirt. Suzaku cursed, quickly scrambling back to his feet and biting down on the pain in his arm.
It seemed like the bullet had passed through, but he didn't have time to check now. Quickly striding to the room the men had been posted at, he slammed his good shoulder into it. It gave way on the second try, and Suzaku burst into the room, raising his gun.
"You!" He cried out, glaring at Kanon Maldini behind Zero's mask.
The former Britannian general stood at Kallen's side, a pistol pressed against her slumped head. Suzaku snarled, keeping his own gun trained on the man as warm crimson ran down his left arm.
"Take it easy, Zero, you wouldn't want my finger to slip."
"I knew it was a mistake to let you go free."
"Live and learn, I suppose." Kanon replied with a smile. "So, why don't you take off that mask. I'd love to see who took the Demon Emperor's life."
Suzaku stared at him for a long moment, trying to decide what to do. He couldn't risk Kallen's life, and if he took a shot there was a chance Kanon would pull the trigger before he went down. After a long hesitation Suzaku slowly raised his injured arm, pulling the mask carefully off of his head.
"Kururugi?" Kanon exclaimed, shocked resignation flooding into his face. "But how, you're supposed to be-"
Suzaku fired, counting on the man's reaction to be an adequate distraction. The bullet hit Kanon square in the forehead, dropping him to the floor of the trashed room in a heap before he could pull the trigger on his own handgun.
"Dead." Suzaku finished, lowering his gun and quickly moving to Kallen's side.
The girl stared blankly at the floor, her gaze faraway. Slipping one hand beneath her chin, Suzaku forced Kallen's head up to stare into her eyes. Aside from the bruise along her ear, she appeared unharmed, and it only took him a moment to realize what Kanon had done.
"Refrain…"
Anger surged up inside of him. Refrain was used recreationally as a means to escape reality, to relive the memories of the past. When administered in a heavier dose, the drug also induced a catatonic state, making the mind of its victim malleable and open to interrogation. Suzaku himself had almost used the same methods on Kallen once, and the memory sat like lead in his stomach. It sickened him to think he had been so cold and inhuman to even consider such an option.
"Kallen?" He said quietly, still staring into those blank eyes. "It's me. I'm getting you out of here."
"Those gunshots, where did they come from?"
The harsh shouts came from down the hall, too close for him to make a run for it. Glancing back, Suzaku pulled the sakuradite detonator free. Pushing the button on top of it, he braced himself against Kallen's bolted chair as the explosives went off. The entire building rocked on its foundation, chunks of plaster falling to the floor all around him.
That should get their attention.
He quickly tore at the ropes holding her to the chair, freeing her hands before slipping back into the hallway. After making sure that the coast was clear, Suzaku snatched up Zero's cape and ran back into the room. He took a moment to wrap Kallen within it, concerned the drug might put her into shock, and replaced the mask on his face.
Scooping the girl up for the second night in a row, and struggling to ignore the blood seeping down his arm, Suzaku ran from the room. He couldn't take her back toward the lobby, and there was no way they were getting out of one of the windows. That left one option; going up.
Suzaku made his way to the stairs once more, taking them two at a time and avoiding the places where they had been damaged. At the landing of the fourth floor, his suspicions about the buildings state were proved correct. The entire wall lining the hallway was nonexistent, a crisp breeze blowing through the building. There was nothing above him but the sky, half of the building completely destroyed from the fourth story up.
Footsteps on the stairs below urged him on, as he carefully avoided the holes in the floor and debris scattered in the way. It was slow going, but if he could just find somewhere to hide Kallen, he could try and fight them off.
"Hold it!"
Suzaku froze, turning slowly toward the man's voice behind him. Three of the terrorists had lined up behind him, their guns all trained directly on him. There was nowhere to go. If he tried to run, the men would cut him and Kallen down in seconds, and he had no hope of shooting it out with them with the girl in his arms.
"Just kill him," One of them said. "It's too risky to try to take him alive."
No sooner had the words left his lips than the wall behind them exploded inward. Suzaku turned and fell, shielding Kallen with his body as pieces of stone and drywall flew down the open hall. Dust plumed around them, chunks of the building bouncing off Suzaku's legs and back.
"Zero!"
Suzaku turned, glancing back as a Burai shambled slowly toward them, careful not to fall from the building. With the ringing in his ears and the adrenaline pumping through his veins, Suzaku couldn't recognize the voice that had called to him. The cockpit to the Knightmare slid open, as Suzaku slowly stood, Kallen a dead weight in his arms.
"Kallen?" Tamaki called, almost falling from the Knightmare in his haste. "Is she…?"
"She's alive." Suzaku said, relief sweeping over him; Ohgi had sent aid anyway. "Help the others secure the building, I'll get Kallen to safety."
Author's Note: Tamaki saves the day? Whaaaat? I never much cared for Kanon. He seemed like a snake oil salesman, and I really wanted to ice him. This isn't an 'action' fic, so if you're not so fond of this chapter or the previous that's fine, they're the only two I'll have in the story. When I finished this chapter I thought maybe I made Suzaku a little too ninja-badass, but honestly he was rather skilled in canon. Whatever, it's not the focus of the story anyway, so it doesn't matter much to me.
I'm getting these things out as fast as possible, so I hope I don't miss anything in the process. If you notice something please let me know. I've got the next chapter finished as well, but I'm not certain how I feel about it. It might be tweaked a bit, or written over again entirely. It's hard to try and fit Kallen and Suzaku together in what I would like to be a rather short fic, without a lot of time to build things up.
MisterSP: You make a valid point, but I only halfway agree. This particular 'love story' is used rather often. It's somewhat true in Hamlet, as well as in a handful of Greek plays, and a more modern example is The Last Samurai. It's all dependent on the people, rather than the actions. As Suzaku's killing was done out of mercy and not hate, and planned from the beginning, it's easier for Kallen to accept it and not hold a great deal of hate for him despite her feelings. You also have to factor in that Kallen and Suzaku are the only ones who know the truth, which acts as a bond, and that losing Lelouch was just as damaging to him. Sharing such a secret is a solid starting point, I think. Even though I'm not a Kallen/Suzaku shipper, I kinda enjoy trying to make it work.