Well, here it is, chapter 4. I hope you like plot twists.
RANT:
Well, shit, I have been writing this while on holiday, driving from Denmark, down through Holland, and up to England, 10 points to whoever can guess what I forgot.
I was just recently rejected from going into England, and now I have to drive back to the place I stayed yesterday and wait for the office to open, so I can get temporary documents. In other news, fuck my life.
Enjoy:
2017 a.t.b. Old Ashford KMF production facility, under Ashford academy, May 15th.
Hard rock blared through the underground speakers, as Ruby twisted the final screw for the first Zero body, bobbing her head and humming along all the while.
"Alright. Zero, Try to move the left ring finger, it should be working now."
"Got it," the laptop next to her responded.
Thankfully, the finger finally moved. She had been having the same problem with the silicone layers in the muscle fibres not connecting properly for hours now, so it was a relief when the damn thing finally worked to its specifications.
"Woot," She cried, bringing her hand up for a high five. As much as this was a small gesture of success, it was also a test to see whether the AI actually had full control over the current body it was supposed to inhabit until the rebellion was over. Nothing seemed to be amiss, as the extremely advanced android effortlessly returned the gesture, delivering a near perfect high five.
"Ok," Ruby started, wiping a little oil off her forehead, "I'm going to unlock fill motor control and the speech system now, so get the stabilization matrix up and running, and make sure to calibrate it to external battery mode, The reactor doesn't have any antimatter or sakuradite in it at the moment."
"Sure, but you really don't have to tell me everything, I have been paying attention to your work, you know. Speaking of which, the factsphere release mechanism might need tightening; one of the screws is getting in the way of the extension release lock."
"That can be dealt with later. Anyway, Are you ready?" Ruby's hand was, quite literally, hovering over a large red button. Contrary to popular belief, this button did not initiate a self-destruct sequence. Instead, it simply allowed power to flow from the battery attached to Unit-01's back, into the body of Unit-01, which was currently being controlled by the AI known only as Zero. The actual self-destruct button was hidden very well, and in a different country. It was also disguised as a banana.
Ruby pressed the button, and Zero's body twitched slightly, before tentatively taking a step forward.
It looked towards Ruby, and a massive grin formed on her face.
Despite not being able to feel any of its limbs, Zero quickly took to understanding the vague sensory input and exact coordinates of its various artificial muscle strands, allowing it to walk fairly easily.
This didn't allow it to instantly perform martial arts moves, however, since it needed a nerve response system, which was unfortunately not in the trio's reach, as the only person who actually managed to design one was currently stuck in India. Though Lelouch had probably sent an extraction boat to pick her up, since they'd already located her, thanks to Z-N-4 the Zero-Network uplink satellite number 4, which was designed to be in geostationary orbit over Japan, or area 11, as Britannians knew it.
"Well, you can walk around perfectly fine," Ruby noted, as the android took several steps around the large Knightmare assembly warehouse.
Just then, the door opened, and in came Lelouch.
"Oh hey Ruby, Zero." He nodded towards the two, before walking over to one of the corners of the room, picking up what seemed to be a set of straps, tubes, pistons, and rotors, along with a small metal circlet.
"Ah yes, the EXO-frame. I completed it a few hours ago; all it needs is a calibration and it should be good to go. I admit that it's a little bulky, but it does the job, and I need some more sakuradite to complete a more discreet version."
Lelouch nodded before hugging her tightly. "Thank you for this. I… I really appreciate it. And I think you should be there when she puts it on."
She smiled, though it was not her insane smile, as it usually was when talking about her latest crazy invention. Instead, this smile was genuine, and gentle, one she only wore when thinking of the Lamperuge siblings.
"Shall we, then?" She asked.
They were about to leave when Zero called out to them.
"Before you go, I think you should know that I looked at the personnel files of the people leading the Kururugi parade tonight. We'll talk about it in detail later, but I think you should consider recruiting Jeremiah Gottwald, he's a skilled Knightmare pilot, and is almost fanatically loyal to your bloodline. He also considers himself personally responsible for the deaths of you and your mother."
"Hmm, interesting," Lelouch mused, before waving back to Zero, and entering the elevator that would bring them topside.
Zero simply continued walking around, getting used to his new range of movement.
2017 a.t.b. Student council clubhouse, Ashford academy, May 15th.
Nunnally was a girl with special needs, much like many people with the specific disabilities she possessed. Many people, however, didn't have a brother and sister, whom were quite literally willing to die on her behalf. Be it sacrificial or otherwise. Her brother quite often risked his life to gain enough funds for both Nunnally's medicine, and his and Ruby's side projects.
She honestly never really knew what the two of them were working on, so she honestly couldn't be happier when she felt the high quality steel and straps of what seemed to be a pair of robotic legs with straps designed to perfectly fit to her own, allowing her to walk as soon as it was calibrated.
The two of them had explained how they'd been working on this for the past year, both of them having to advance different technologies to be capable of lifting even her petite frame without being extremely bulky. Ruby mainly worked on the mechanical parts, while Lelouch worked on the interface mechanism, allowing her to control her legs with naught but a thought.
When the two of them presented the masterpiece to her, she actually began crying with joy.
"T-thank you so much, I was so worried that you two were doing something dangerous. But all this time, you were just making this for me. I-I just love you two so much." With that, she quite literally jumped out of her wheelchair and hugged the two of them as hard as she possibly could. Though her body was as slim as Lelouch, she still had a grip that was firm enough to make the two of them stumble.
"Please Brother, can I try it on?" Nunnally asked, still smothering the two siblings in her love for them. "It needs a test run and some calibration before you can walk around in it, and there's plenty of time before I have to go out, so I don't see why not?"
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
After the initial tests to see whether the device fit, and where it needed adjusting, all that was later required was a short test to see if all the parts were working correctly.
"Ok," Lelouch started, calibrating the small circlet that Nunnally was wearing. "First things first, I need to make sure that it's picking up the right thought patterns. Try and lift your right leg."
"Ok, brother." Nunnally whispered, holding Ruby's hand all the while.
After several minutes of nothing, and various grunts of acknowledgement from her brother, Nunnally's leg finally lift itself off the wheelchair, and straight up into the air, followed by a short 'whoop' from Lelouch.
"Ok, relax your leg… Excellent. Calibration complete," Lelouch exclaimed, as he shut a small port on the back of the circlet.
He rushed to the other side of Nunnally, and eagerly grasped her hand.
"Are you ready?" He asked, smiling, squeezing her hand a little to comfort her.
"Yes." She whispered, afraid to let go of their hands in case they disappeared, as if all this was just a fever dream.
Irrational as the though may be, she still feared that Ruby and Lelouch would suddenly disappear, and this would simply turn out another nightmare. She'd often dreamed of walking again, and every time it had become a living hell until she woke up.
She'd also often suggested that she get an operation similar to Lelouch, allowing her to finally walk on her own legs again, however it had been shot down by Lelouch a couple of times, since she wasn't quite strong enough to recover from the procedure. It might make her current state even worse, unless they could find a solution to why she was actually crippled. Yes, she'd been shot in the legs, but the damage she suffered was a lot less than what would normally restrict anyone's legs permanently.
Though Lelouch believed that something involving geass was afoot.
He was by no means a perfect being, but he was very good at thinking outside the box, finding solutions to problems that no-one else would think of, be they more or less efficient. It was usually the former, as he'd always though that way, be it in chess or otherwise.
"Here we go. Remember, slowly," Ruby said, pulling on Nunnally's arm a little.
Slowly, the motors of the EXO-frame attached to Nunnally's legs began to whir. Lelouch and Ruby were of course helping her up, but she could still feel the gentle vibrations through her legs, signifying that they weren't the only ones that were truly lifting her body.
When she finally stood, she began to cry again, though she quickly wiped away her tears, smiling one of the widest and genuine smiles she'd ever given.
Even though she wasn't walking on her own, it was still more movement than she'd done in years.
And finally, she actually jumped straight into their arms and hugged the two of them until she couldn't hold herself up any longer, and when she couldn't hold herself, she simply stood on her own two legs, hugging them harder than she though possible.
2017 a.t.b. Kururugi parade grounds, Bridge, May 15th.
Jeremiah Gottwald was not only a honourable man, but also an excellent pilot, a skilled soldier, and a man whom held loyalty above all else. He'd graduated at the top of his class from the imperial Colchester University, served in an empress's guard, and even joined the purist faction, one of the most fanatical among the entire imperial military force. It was also one of the hardest to actually get into, as they accepted only the best of the best. He'd eventually ascended to leader of the group, not by his status of a margrave, nor his connections among the nobility, but instead it was by merit alone. Something he held above all but his loyalty to the Vi Britannia bloodline.
For once, however, he'd let the merit of this operation blind him to the possible consequences it could bring. Kewell Soresi, Viletta Nu, and himself had decided to convict an innocent man for the murder of the 3rd prince. This action, while in itself fulfilling, would not only help the purists take over and fill the power vacuum, giving them full control of the area, but it would also allow them to abolish the honorary Britannian system, something they'd been pushing for, for a while now.
Amongst the purists' many beliefs, lay the inescapable 'law' that only true blooded Britannians were to serve in the military. Jeremiah initially didn't really follow through with this belief, as he'd known that the exiled prince and princess were treated well where they were staying, however that quickly changed when the emperor himself had declared that they were killed by the prime minister. He'd used that along with the growing tensions between the two nations as an excuse to invade.
The newly commissioned fourth generation of Knightmare frames had only helped in the quick defeat suffered by the Japan, and the subsequent enslavement of its people.
Even now, as he was leading the so-called precession down a highway road in the middle of Tokyo, he still felt disgust for the elevens that had brutally slaughtered the children of the empress Marianne, and then casually surrendered like they'd merely stolen some candy, believing that they could give it back without even a slap on the wrist. They'd payed dearly for that belief.
His musings were cut short, however, as the radio flared, giving warnings of an incoming vehicle. When Jeremiah asked about it; he was stunned. It was prince Clovis' personal transport; personally, he considered it one of the most horrifically garish vehicles among the entire imperial family. At least the bastardisation of a limousine and public address podium wasn't pink.
"You dare defile his highness's transport? Come out you filthy eleven!" As much as he meant the second half of his statement, nothing could wash away the bad taste he got from not saying the damn transport was defiling his eyes.
As soon as he said that, the Britannian flag that was proudly hung at the top of the vehicle, burst into flames. Within 0.8 seconds, the entire flag was ash, small embers floating down to the ground and a terrifying figure stepped forward; addressing the entire crowd, though his attention was obviously focused on the military, despite the avian like mask which hid his features from both the aforementioned military and the various news choppers, each of them competing for the best angle, all of them trying to get higher ratings than the next.
"I AM… ZERO!" The figure shouted, its voice distorted beyond recognition. It wasn't immediately clear, but upon closer inspection, there were several voices, male and female, child and adult. This only added to the mystery that was Zero.
Though he was a little intimidated, like many of both the military and the general pubic, he quickly regained his composure. He intended to give a real show to the massive audience, though he didn't know that, that was exactly what the figure standing before him wanted.
"I've seen enough, Zero. This charade is over!" He shot his sidearm into the air, giving a signal to the nearby VTOLs, all of which quickly got into position and dropped four Sutherland knightmares around the masked man.
"Now, remove that mask," The margrave spat, angrily pointing his own gun at the figure opposed to himself, despite the four knightmares surrounding him, all of which held anti tank rounds in their guns.
This was exactly what Zero wanted, as he reached his fingers up to caress the violet orb of the mask, only to raise his hand in a flash, snapping his fingers at the apex of his arm's movement. Instantly, the five surrounding panes of the vehicle burst open, revealing the poison gas container the military had been looking for so fervently.
"Lord Gottwald, that's the-" "I know," Jeremiah spat, as he lowered his gun. "What are your terms?" The words felt like spoiled milk, as he said them, asking the question that was on almost all the military's tongues that moment.
"Simple," Zero responded, "This," he gestured towards the container of so-called poison gas, "for Kururugi."
Instantly, the crowd was in uproar. Say what you will about the people, but the death of an imperial family member always drew out heavy emotion, while most were screaming for Suzaku's head, many of the Japanese were cheering zero on, mainly for doing what they hadn't the stomach for, but also because he was actually getting somewhere, and wasn't just shot down on the spot.
"Never, This man is charged with regicide for murdering our beloved prince Clovis," Jeremiah shouted, the 'audience' cheering him on all the while.
"Oh?" Zero started, crossing his arms below his cape, "That's strange; I don't remember him being there when I personally decapitated him in the throne he sat upon while ordering the deaths of countless innocents." At the moment the last word exited his lips, the loudspeakers of all the knightmares around the area instantly flared up with Clovis' declaration.
="I Clovis La Britannia hereby order the destruction of the Shinjuku ghetto. Liquidate the people, be they terrorists or otherwise, leave no-one alive."=
Instantly the crowd stopped cheering. Even though they were barely above mindless slaves in the eyes of the populate, they were still humans.
"It wasn't until I, personally, shoved a gun to his face, that he ordered the cease fire." Again, the loudspeakers blared.
="What do you want?"
"What I want is a cease fire order, broadcast to all troops currently in Shinjuku. Well, at least the ones I left alive,"
"Y-you were the one commanding the-"
"Cease fire, now." The soldier ordered.
"Very well. I, Clovis la Britannia, hereby command you, all of you, cease fire at once, Treat all injured whether Britannian or eleven. All burials shall be treated equally and without prejudice. I shall allow no further fighting. Satisfied?"
"Very."=
"While I was in the command centre of the G-1 mobile base, I spoke to the prince a little. More specifically, I asked how he could justify such a massacre…"
The crowd was silent as they all tentatively listened.
"Do you want to know what his answer was?" He asked, urging the margrave to answer, though he interrupted beforehand, again pressing the button that initiated the recording device.
="However you still have to atone for your sins… Tell me, why would such an upstanding gentleman such as yourself issue this order?"
"I Clovis La Britannia hereby order the destruction of the Shinjuku ghetto. Liquidate the people, be they terrorists or otherwise, leave no-one alive."
"T-they stole poison g-gas fro-"
Thwack
"No, what they stole was a canister that held nothing but a little girl, no older than 16. She was not only held against her will, but was, in fact, experimented on by your very own staff. You simply wanted to retrieve what you lost, so tell me, does that justify the loss of… Thank you, Six thousand four hundred and seventeen lives? Not counting the injured that will inevitably die."
"T-They were only elevens."=
"So, tell me, Britannians and Japanese alike, do you truly wish such people to be you betters?" At that question, almost the entire nation shouted in the negative.
"Now, some of you may be thinking that he was one among many, perhaps a black sheep." Instantly, he had control of the crowds again. They were completely silent, almost all of them eagerly waiting a response.
No one had actually noticed, but the person whom stood there was not actually Zero. Instead, it was a basic full body EXO-frame attached to a clothes dummy. In reality, Lelouch was using the advanced cloaking features of his Zero outfit to sneak around the precession, slowly making his way up to where Suzaku was kneeling.
"Of course, there are some whom are better than others, such as the third princess. But then again, there are always two sides to a coin, take prince Schneizel, for example."
="I don't care about civilian casualties. Bombard the area if you have to, as long as this terrorist faction is eliminated, we can blame it on them. No-one listens to the numbers anyway."=
"I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO SLANDER THE ROYAL FAMILY ANY LONGER!" Jeremiah shouted. Raising his gun to Zero's head. "Prepare to die!"
And with that, he shot Zero straight in the forehead.
However he kept on moving like nothing happened, lifting his hands to the mask he was wearing, and removed it.
Almost everyone stared slack-jawed at the shop dummy that wore the outfit of Zero.
At that very moment, however, the canister began its release procedure. However, what came out was only confetti, a truly astonishing amount, yes, but nothing else.
Shocking the public again was none other than Zero, as he held an unconscious Suzaku around the waist, a cable attached to his fist, the other end attached to what seemed to be a VTOL, though it was completely silent.
"May the day we meet on the battlefield be glorious, oh great and noble Britannia." The sarcasm was palpable.
And then the jet roared, and they were taken away from the precession.
However the dummy still had more to say.
"Before I truly go, I'd like to fulfil a promise I made to the late prince… for what is a man if he does not fulfil a dying man's last wish"
="I've heard enough," The voice became a little clearer as Zero gave his verdict. "I am Zero, and as much as I hate taking a life, this man is not innocent, he has been judged by me, and the innocent lives he has taken, and has been sentenced to death… by beheading."
"Do you have any last words, perhaps for your family?"
"Y-y-y-yes, Brothers, sisters, Farther, Mother, I-I-I-I am truly sorry for what I have done. M-may fate be kinder to you, t-t-than it was to me. Please C.C. forgive me for your torture. At least I'll see Lelouch and Nunnally again."
"I will make sure they get your message."
Shunk, slice, splat. =
Then the dummy exploded, the distinctive sparks of thermite visible through the melted plastic, truly leaving no trace, DNA or otherwise.
2017 a.t.b. On-board VTOL, unknown location, may 15th.
"So, I see that you're awake. How are you feeling?" Lelouch asked, his mask still held firmly on his head.
"Ugh, like I was hit by a truck… Wait." He jumped back, only to be stopped by a seatbelt. He looked around and saw what appeared to be a luxury airplane.
"H-how'd I get here." He stuttered, retaining no memory of the stealthy injection Lelouch had given him, while he used the cloak system of the Zero outfit.
"We rescued you," He said, leaning back into his seat, gesturing towards Kallen and Ruby, both of which wore masks. Though Ruby was surprisingly calm, considering her mania, and the fact that she was a complete sociopath towards anyone and anything that she wasn't personally responsible for, such as her many inventions, or children, as she and Rakshata used to call them, whenever they exchanged information.
"So, did you really kill prince Clovis?" Suzaku asked, grimacing a little at his own words.
"Yes, and as much as I hate taking life, I'd gladly do so again, besides, he was an enemy commander; the head of the snake, so-to-speak," He calmly replied.
"That still doesn't justify killing him, even if he ordered the death of innocents." Suzaku really did have a twisted sense of logic and morals.
"Oh? Well then, do you think that an order from a superior officer justifies liquidating an entire district?" Lelouch asked again.
Suzaku was silent.
"So, while we're here, on this plane, nice and secure, 6 kilometres above the Pacific Ocean, would you mind telling me what your goals are for joining the military?"
"I… I must become the knight of one, then I will take governance over area eleven, and the people will be treated equally."
"You really are an idiot," Zero replied, sighing, before grabbing a bottle and two glasses out of a side cabinet.
"Before we go any further, what about the rest of the areas? You seek to change one nation of soon eighteen different ones, whereas I seek to change them all, so your plan is flawed from the start, but let's forget that for the moment," Zero Mused.
"Secondly, let's ignore the fact that non-Britannians aren't allowed to gain any position of power at all, much less being a knight. So, say you're a genuine Britannian, no number blood in you veins, but before that, we need to look at the accomplishments you must complete before even being considered." Zero sighed, "It's a long list," He explained, pulling out a small booklet, before filling the two glasses with what seemed to be very high quality champagne.
"First of all, to even join the knights of the round, you must be able to follow any order given by the emperor, be it killing, genocide, or what have you. Secondly, your military accomplishments must be substantial, for example, Lord Gino Weinberg helped conquer what is now area 17, this earned him a candidacy. Lady Alstreim single-handedly quelled an almost successful rebellion in area 7, using nothing but her Gloucester. Yes, I know you're the pilot of the Lancelot, and I must say that your piloting skills are very impressive." Suzaku seemed to stutter briefly, only to realise that whomever was behind the mask of Zero, certainly did their homework.
"Nihil over there hacked into Lloyds surveillance system the other day," Lelouch offered, gesturing over to the masked figure on the right, which now seemed to be waving her hand around the air, despite there being nothing there.
Suzaku looked a little startled at the display the petite woman was showing, though Zero just waved it off, it was probably quite normal for whomever the woman actually was, and considering what he remembered from the daring attempt to rescue him, Zero probably wasn't the only person in their group who had issues, after all, what could come from terrorism?
He sighed again, before pulling a straw out of the nearby side panel, shoving it into a small hole in his mask. Presumably, it lead to his mouth, considering the slurping sound that now came through the masked vigilante's voice changer. "Damn, this is good… anyway, I'm digressing, what I'm trying to say is, you have to go against your own morals to prevent others from experiencing the same. More specifically, you'll have to kill because somebody says so, not because they deserve it, simply to create equality for 110 million people, and half of them don't even want it. What I seek to do is far simpler; kill the emperor, and make sure somebody like Lelouch or Euphemia takes the throne. Hell, Lelouch would probably help pull some strings for you, provided you help him take said throne."
It took a while, but Suzaku finally spoke, "Any ends gained through contemptible means aren't worth anything," He naïvely spat, finally accepting the drink.
"So killing people under orders isn't contemptible, while killing people because they dropped bombs on your friends and family is?" Zero asked, his tightly controlled patience wearing thin.
Suzaku was silent again, until Zero continued.
"You know, during the invasion, my sister's left arm and leg were torn off by the same bombs you and I suffered. You call our means contemptible, yet Britannia is the nation that, quite literally, tears family apart. I myself was injured, albeit after the invasion. I was walking through the ghettos one day, when an extremely polite Knightmare pilot decided that he didn't like my spine. Thankfully, of the three HE anti tank rounds that were fired, only one hit me. It paralysed me from the neck down, and it's only thanks to my sister's cybernetics project that I can even walk."
"Still, be that as it is, I must honour my father's sacrifice, and change this nation from within." He replied, despite the clear disgust in his voice.
"Oh? The same father you killed?" He asked, causing an utterly shocked look to appear on Suzaku's face.
Meekly, he replied, "H-how-"
"So I was right," He sighed, "believe me when I say that I know where you're coming from, I too killed someone to cause less bloodshed, despite the long term repercussions that would occur. You see, when japan surrendered, most of its military might was left in tact, said military later became a number of different resistance groups, most prominently, the JLF. The same thing happened to me; I killed a man to prevent another from dying, it was only a year later that I found out that the bastard was running a slave trade." The contempt in Zero's voice was obvious.
He took another sip. "So, just to recollect, you want a japan with equal rights, yet you refuse to support its best chance, despite it being the most pacifistic way to achieve it. Even with war, do we aid Britannia. Keeping the blood flowing is quite literally the only thing that is keeping Britannia from going down as a nation. That's something the second prince said to me. And he's right; without the military, this nation would fall within six months."
"Someone like Lelouch, you say…" Suzaku mumbled, finally breaking the silence that had overtaken the passenger section of the small VTOL jet.
"Indeed, if someone like Lelouch takes the throne, then this nation might just have a chance to be saved. Besides, you two can do anything together."
Suzaku looks shocked for a moment, there were few people who knew about that, and fewer still who remembered.
"Then I will find and support him, and let him take the throne." Suzaku said, pulling on his seatbelt, before realising that the seatbelts wouldn't come off, most likely only when Zero wanted them to, or unless they landed.
"Before you go looking for him, tell me one thing. How far will you go for him?" Zero asked, leaning forward, resting his elbows on the table between the two.
"As far as I must," he replied, equally as serious.
"Excellent answer," He replied, leaning back into the seat, his serious attitude now replaced with a much more blasé one.
"Huh?"
"Your search has ended, then," And with that, Lelouch pulled off the mask of Zero, leaving Suzaku gaping like a fish.
"All but one thing I've said on this plane has been true" Lelouch said, casually sipping his drink.
"And what was that?" Suzaku asked, narrowing his eyes in distrust.
"That we're over the pacific. We're actually above the Fuji mines, testing our latest iteration of our stealth system. Would you like some cupcakes?"
Silence.
"Before I join you, what are your plans?" Suzaku asked, a new determination burning in his eyes.
"After we nick Lloyd, Cecile and the Lancelot, and extract Rakshata Chawla, We'll be doing night time raids on the local drug rings and slave traders. Basically, we'll be doing what the police units are bribed not to. After that, We wait for the next viceroy to commit an atrocious act, so we can show how we fight for the innocents, and don't just lash out for prejudice's sake," Lelouch mused, handing Suzaku a pair of what seemed like normal glasses.
"Glasses? Lelouch, my eyesight is perfect," Suzaku argued.
"As is mine, but our holographic technology is still in the theoretical realm, so haptic interfaces will have to do." He slid his own glasses onto his nose.
'At least they're not hippy glasses,' Suzaku thought.
"Anyway, allow my to introduce my second in command, sister in all but blood, and head of the R&D team: Ruby Rose, also known as Nihil, one of the best scientists on the planet. She's the one who designs, tests, and produces most of our hardware. The haptic glasses will show you some more details."
Ruby removed her headgear, showing the face of a beautiful face of a 17 year-old girl, her features were a mix of Britannian and Asian, with stunning, silver eyes, which were quite literally staring into his soul.
With barely a twitch, she fired a small rope-dart at Suzaku, before even he could remove it, it took a blood sample, analysed it, and delivered a powerful antitoxin for radiation poisoning, something he was going to need if he was going to witness the construction of the absolution MK.1. Naturally Suzaku had questions.
"What the hell was that?" He asked, rubbing his arm slightly, as the seatbelts were still engaged.
"I collected a blood sample for analysis, you might be allergic to zeta radiation, I also injected you with an antitoxin for antimatter explosion fumes," Ruby explained.
Though he'd never heard of zeta radiation, despite not finishing physics, he had heard of antimatter, along with its theoretical dangers.
"So your saying that Britannia's methods are contemptible, when you use antimatter weaponry?" He seethed, obviously attempting to stand, despite the futility.
"We don't use antimatter technology to make out explosions bigger, Suzaku, we use it to make the armaments smaller, while the explosions remain relatively similar, in size, but with a finality that rivals nothing else. In other words; we have darts that vaporise anything in a ten metre radius, along with handguns that can wipe out op to two hundred nightmares, provided they are perfect hits."
Suzaku calmed a little at that, though he still remained sceptical.
"Next up, we have Kallen Kōzuki, a Knightmare pilot on par with yourself, She also shows promise in tactical decisions and special ops."
Unlike Ruby, all she did was wave; she'd quite literally been staring down a full lance of Knightmare frames, and the adrenaline that had been flooding her nervous system had worn off shortly before Suzaku woke.
Suzaku extended his hand, and both of them shook it, though Kallen held onto it quite firmly, and leant forward, whispering. "I still don't trust you, nor do I trust Lelouch, and if you hurt any of my friends, I will kill you."
"I understand."
"Anyway, now that the tense atmosphere's clearly diminished; how'd you like to see Nunnally again, after all, it has been a while."
"But what about my court martial?" Suzaku questioned.
"I'll have one of my lower tier members leak that you refused to join me, and we have you in custody, trying to convince you or something. We'll think of this more, later."
"Thank you," Suzaku mused.
"Anyway, I've sent Ohgi the coordinates for the Ashford base, so he and his group should be meeting us there. It's not our biggest base, but it's where we keep most of our R&D, so after you've met with the other members, perhaps Ruby can walk you through some of the things we've been working on. Besides, I'm pretty sure Nunnally's dying to see you again you."
"But won't she figure out your Zero?" He asked, a little hesitant.
"Hehe, I forgot to tell you about that, but I'm not actually Zero, I'm the co-commander of the black knights, Zero's strategic advisor, and his benefactor, but before you ask, we consider any and every action we take together, and always make joined decisions, thanks to the spinal implant I have. Besides, Nunnally's a lot smarter than she looks, and probably already knows that I have something to do with it. Oh and, go easy on her, Ruby and I just finished her EXO-frame, so she's still practicing to walk properly, just make sure she doesn't go jumping around the room, will you?"
The two of them shared a laugh, before Lelouch continued.
"I'm not going to show you the full scope of our current resources right away, as I still need to make sure you won't betray my trust. Believe me, I know how stubborn you can be, and how that if I make major mistakes, you'll either try to correct my path, or you'll simply go back to the empire, but know this; Innocents will get in the way, and I'll do my best not to harm them in any way, but that doesn't mean they won't get caught in the crossfire." Lelouch sighed, before looking back up to Suzaku.
"I'm truly sorry about revealing you, and tearing your logic apart like that, but it was necessary at the time, and I only hope that you'll forgive me, and that our friendship's still as strong as it was seven years ago." Lelouch looked down, before pouring another cup of champagne, actually taking a sip this time, rather than just slurping the liquid through a straw.
Suzaku looked a little betrayed, before his face softened. "I… I forgive you," He said, leaning back in his chair, as he closed his eyes, sighing. "So, now you have two ace pilots, and no machines for us to pilot," Suzaku mused, sighing as that revelation actually hit him.
Though, at that moment, Nihil, or Ruby, as Suzaku now knew her, giggled cutely.
"Actually, you're wrong on both accounts, we have four ace pilots; you, Kallen, Zero and myself. And while we may lack the advanced Knightmares that we desire, we still have two, we're about to steal another, and I'm quite confident that we'll be getting another when we reveal ourselves properly, and gain Kyoto's support, we don't need the money, we just want the Guren Nishiki," Ruby elaborated, counting each point on her fingers, as she smiled giddily when she mentioned the two KMFs they already had.
"In total, we have three seventh gen frames, piloted by Zero, Lelouch and myself. We have another twelve upgraded Sutherlands, two Gloucesters, and the seventeen Sutherlands we held onto after the Shinjuku incident. Oh and, all three of the seventh gen frames are made by Lelouch and I, with a little help from Zero," Ruby mused, still counting points on her fingers, though she'd started using her feet now, being insane really explains some of her strange personality quirks.
"Anyway, I think it's about time to get back to our Ashford base, so we can plan the raid on the ASEEC. It's about time we get access to the Asplund's toys, as he never keeps any of his blueprints on his computers."
2017 a.t.b. Old Ashford KMF production facility, under Ashford academy, May 15th.
Lelouch, on what had now been confirmed to be an advanced stealth VTOL, developed entirely be Ruby, had said that he wouldn't show him the full scope of the operation, since he wasn't quite sure about his loyalty.
Despite this, what he was currently seeing caused his normally focussed green orbs to widen to the point of almost falling out of his skull.
Suzaku wasn't usually a suspicious man, but he simply had to ask Lelouch where he'd gotten all this equipment. Of course, since they'd been friends for a very long time, he'd easily spilled the beans. The money had come from a mix between high stakes gambling, and fiddling with bank numbers, of course, the first part was considered illegal, yet the second was grounds for execution. When he'd brought this up with Lelouch, He'd simply shrugged, and said that the OSI had been trying to kill him for three years, until he finally cleared his tracks, after which, he'd escaped a number of different arrests. He'd then followed up with a statement that made Suzaku reconsider the idea that Lelouch had truly erased all traces of his arrogance. He had, quite literally said, "They've been trying to kill me for a majority of my life, and they can keep trying for all I care. My sentence is currently twenty seven executions without trial, and two with, of course, no one but the military knows that, and even then, most of the people that knew of my sentence were killed in the Shinjuku incident."
Of course, when he'd asked about the massive facility, and how it came into being, Lelouch simply gave a large grin, and said that he didn't want to know.
Thankfully, the knightmares weren't such as mystery, as it had been frequently mentioned that he, Ruby and Zero had been working on them for a number of years. When he'd asked about why The absolution, a Knightmare the size and weight of more than three Sutherlands, and why it had no shoulder armour, Ruby walked off grumbling something about a lack of death rays and how the lasers were being unruly. Of course, being the ever-vigilant friend that he was, Lelouch had gladly filled him in. "With our antimatter micro-darts, proton cannons, antigravity systems, and railguns; all we need to fulfil our arsenal are death lasers."
He'd later asked about the other Knightmares Ruby and Lelouch were creating, and while he'd gotten a decent overview of their specifications, he hadn't managed to see them, due to them having their antimatter and sakuradite cores installed. When he'd asked about where they'd gotten the antimatter, Lelouch had simply smiled and said that it was Ruby's little secret.
After an introduction with the rest of the members most of them being scientists, and the group that Lelouch had helped out in Shinjuku, along with a Japanese maid that happened to doubled as a ninja, he'd finally gone upstairs with Lelouch, as much as he wanted to see Nunnally, he'd also wanted to see how the two of them had been living these past few years.
When Lelouch had brought him to Nunnally, she'd quite literally cried until she couldn't walk anymore, and had to retire.
When Lelouch had been tucking her in, her hand still held in still in his own, she'd asked the question Suzaku had feared more than anything since the Shinjuku incident.
"Big brother, a… are you really Zero?" She'd asked it with so much care, so much sincerity, and so much sadness that he had to restrain himself from crying in front of the two siblings.
Lelouch smiled at her and patted her on the head, before taking her hand, "I have held the mantle of Zero for long enough now, and while I will funding him and designing Knightmares for our cause, I assure you that I will not be in harms way any more than you, true, I have a Knightmare that is capable of levelling a small town, but I promise that I will always be here for you."
Nunnally smiled at that, among her many years of blindness, she'd picked up the ability of palm reading. It wasn't as convoluted as reading the future or anything like that, but she could easily read emotions and tell the truth from lies, and what Lelouch had said was true.
The two of them had explained the situation about how Suzaku had been arrested, and why he'd been chosen as a scapegoat. Despite her naïveté and kindness, she'd been furious, saying that nobody deserved to be framed for something they didn't do.
While she'd quickly calmed down, thanks to the fact that Suzaku had been okay, and that the two teenagers stood by her bed, holding her hands, she'd still whacked Lelouch on his head, due to the fact that he'd put himself in danger.
After a short amount of time, including several short jokes about how Lelouch was completely incompetent when it came to sport, despite the fact that he regularly had to lug large crates of mechanical stuffs around, usually when Ruby was working, or just too lazy to do so herself.
2017 a.t.b. Student council clubhouse, Ashford academy, May 16th.
Considering the personalities of the various students in the student council, most people believe that barely any work actually gets done. They would be right.
Among the six members of the student council, one's a resistance fighter, whom also happens to be an ace pilot, capable of bringing out every scrap of ability any Knightmare has.
The next leads said resistance group, living a double life. One side is the distant, aloof and extremely attractive student, whom earns millions by simply playing chess against the aristocracy, while the other is a scientist that, with the help of his insane sister, builds knightmares that rival even the Lancelot and Guren.
The third is often considered the most perverted being on the entire planet, she often plans school-wide events, simply to watch her minions squirm. Lelouch is often spared from this, considering he actually has blackmail on her, rather than the other way around, which is what usually happens.
The fourth has a crust on the second that could easily rival the entire American continent. She's supple, willing, and gullible to the point of hilarity.
The fifth has a minor crust on the third, and while it isn't anything major, he is extremely persistent. Other than being the resident comic relief, he's pretty useless.
The sixth is the most xenophobic, lesbian genius. She's extremely shy, has a fear of Asians, and would gladly wipe them off the face of the earth. Despite her lack of funding, she is currently developing a project with two paths. One of which leads to a virtually unlimited power source, where the other leads to a bomb with an explosive radius of over ten kilometres.
So it wasn't much of a shock when the six members were doing absolutely nothing in terms of work, and were instead discussing the news. Much of said new was prejudiced bullshit, however they still somehow got the point across.
Said point being the lack of one honorary Britannian by the name of Suzaku Kururugi.
"So, do you think He's keeping him locked up, or he's willingly joined?" Milly asked, her perverted nature all but suggesting what they might be doing to the poor boy.
"Considering the leaks that are currently on the Internet, I'd say that he's been locked up," Rivalz commented, flipping his phone out to show the others.
"I'd actually go so far as to say the opposite," Lelouch mused. He knew the truth, of course. He'd been the one to show him around the underground facility he owned, and Suzaku was probably in the KMF simulators right now.
"Considering that the leak happened so soon after the rescue/kidnapping, and that Zero's group couldn't be that large, else he'd have used a less flashy escape route, I think that the so called leak was intentionally to throw the court off, to prevent them from cracking down on the locals."
He looked at the others before continuing. "Besides, He would most likely be executed or imprisoned for life, if not for Zero, of course, so what'd the point be, if they were just going to lock him up again. I knew Suzaku as a child, and as soon as he has an idea in his head, he will cling to it harder than Nunnally."
The others seemed to agree with what he'd just said, save Nina, of course. She just questioned how Lelouch could possibly be friends with an eleven. He'd of course replied as he usually did, using logic above all else.
"Nina, They are people, just like us. Yes, they usually look a little different, and yes, they were born in a different location, but they are still humans."
Nina took offence to this.
"THEY'RE NOTHING BUT ANIMALS!" She shouted, earning a shocked intake of breath from all but Lelouch, who simply looked back into her eyes, intending t defeat her using logic.
"And what of the emperor, a man whom pits his very children against each other, as if they were nothing more than playthings."
Nina was utterly shocked; saying something like that was borderline treason, if not heresy.
"It's his divine right to-" Lelouch cut her off there. "He's human, as human as anyone else in this world. True, he has a position of power. But take that away, and what is he?" Lelouch leaned in a little closer to Nina, who flinched a little and looked down.
"He's nothing more than a man with a fancy chair, a harem of nubile women, and a bunch of kids."
Nina was completely stunned, her silence allowing Lelouch to really get started. He's a man who casually strips entire nations of their rights, names, pride; even their souls are taken. The reasons countries under Britannia are so violent is because they're treated worse than humans, when humans are exactly what they are."
He put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up, a tear stained face replacing the previous anger filled one.
"Tell me, have you ever lost someone in area 11? A brother, maybe sister?" He asked, a soft smile showing his sincerity.
"Y-yeah, My brother, he was four at the time… and. And I just can't let go. I want to so badly, but I just can't." She whimpered, completely breaking at the end of her sentence. Her tears spilled freely down her cheeks, and her shoulders shook worse than even his when his mother died.
"Shh, Shh. Let it out," He whispered, hugging her tightly, something she needed very much right now.
He quickly gestured towards the door, leaving the two of them alone.
After almost ten minutes, she stopped crying. "If I'm not mistaken, you're working on a project involving sakuradite and uranium, correct?"
She nodded slowly.
"Why don't you tell me a little about it? Take you mind off you brother for a little," He asked, smiling at the now slightly healthier looking Nina.
She gingerly wiped her tears away, and brought over her laptop, showing a myriad of calculations.
"I-if you can get uranium atoms to absorb active neutrons, like the ones released by sakuradite, it could completely remove radiation poisoning, and allow the harvesting of energy through fission and fusion alike." Nina explained, looking a little happier at Lelouch's understanding expression.
"Hmm, either an infinite energy source or very… very big boom…." Lelouch mused, a little shocked at the calculated reaction.
"Hmm," Lelouch mumbled, looking for the best way to get Nina on his side without using his Geass, something he only relied on for a last resort. He was human after all.
"I have a proposal." Nina perked up at that. "I want you to work for me, and In turn, you'll get your own lab, enough funding for any future projects you desire, and a large amount of advanced technology."
Lelouch smiled as the gears in Nina's head began turning.
"You see, I have been working on my won project, a type of hypnosis that can theoretically cure almost any psychological condition… including Xenophobia." Lelouch smiled as Nina's eyes widened. She looked Lelouch directly in his eyes, as her own began watering. "P-please, I just want to let go of my hatred."
He hugged her silently, before whispering into her ear. "We can begin anytime you're ready."
The two of them leaned back, and Lelouch looked Nina in the eye.
"Obey these next commands: No longer will you fear elevens, no longer will you have hatred towards elevens, you will now forgive them for taking your brother away from you." he smiled sadistically, his geass still active. "You will develop all current and future projects for me. And you will not leak any of what the two of us will work on in the future. Lastly, you will sleep until you feel rested."
"Yes, My lord," Nina responded sleepily, before slumping together, asleep.
Lelouch hurriedly caught her before she fell to the ground. He picked her up bridal style, making sure the absurdly short skirt didn't fall and reveal her panties. Lelouch may be a cold, manipulative bastard, but he wasn't a pervert.
"Ah, Kallen," Lelouch exclaimed as he exited the student council room. "Could you please be so kind as to take Nina to her dorm room, it's number twelve-B, I believe."
"She works for the BK now," Lelouch explained, allowing Kallen to grab the poor girl.
"But… how'd you get rid of her xenophobia?" She asked, a little shocked at how quickly Lelouch worked. He may be good at getting resources, and he may be excellent at manipulation, but that was absurdly quick.
"Audio stimulated hypnotisation. Don't worry, it was something she wanted." Kallen looked at him suspiciously, before walking off to the girls' dorms.
What she didn't notice was the extreme blush on Nina's cheeks; she'd quite literally woken up with her face between Kallen's Breasts. (It's weekend and most students are at home, so Kallen can afford to not act frail. She's only there because of council business).
A/N:
Well, that was that. I've written pretty much all of this chapter while on the road.
And while it has been a both entertaining trip, and a fantastic family visit, I still want to ask about shipping, what pairings I should use, hint at, or go full out on. I can promise that I'll suck at lemons, but I might add them if there's somebody out there that really wants to fap to something, but sadly can't find anywhere else on the internet to do so.
Before you vote/suggest, know that when I write romance, it'll be slow, not his instant love bullshit I seem to find in everywhere but this fandom. If lemons occur, it'll be in later chapters.
Feel free to suggest pairings in the comments, personal messages, or in the poll that I'll probably forget to put on my profile.
Sayonara.