Two Sons
Chapter 5
Two Outcomes
Lelouch wanted to laugh, no, he wanted to cackle like a hyena for his little farce that he'd pulled on Cornelia. This battle was moving right to plan and as he peered over the tactical map to double check the positions he'd told Sapper Division to lay their explosive payloads. At the same time Distraction would be moving to their assigned positions as well. All Lelouch had to do now was wait for Cornelia's next move and it would be checkmate.
"And all in time to get home and have dinner with Nunnally and Suzaku." Lelouch chuckled softly to himself before opening the com channel. "Sapper teams. Status?"
"Sapper One here, charges laid, Zero! Ready to blow on your mark."
"Three and two are good as well, Zero-sama!"
"Four, seven and six also report their charges planted."
"Five here, just finished."
"Good work," Lelouch said in his "Zero" voice as he leaned back into the chair of his Sutherland. "Retreat to the specified points and lay low until you hear the fireworks start, once they do follow the plan swiftly."
"Right!"
Lelouch changed channels. "Distraction teams, are you in position?" They reported back an affirmative and Lelouch knew this game was in his favor now. Cornelia would believe they were working alone, just four defiant pilots against her armor. She'd still be cautious of course, sending in skirmishers before fully advancing. He need only push her back a second time to force her into launching her full force against him to overwhelm him.
And then, dear sister. The former prince grinned darkly. I'll have you, just as I did Clovis.
If that two faced half brother of his was right then it would be Cornelia who could she some light on his mother's death, if not then he would need to draw Schneizel out and capture him. But Lelouch wasn't looking forward to those odds. No matter his pride the former prince knew his brother was in a different league compared to Schneizel, who'd disarmed governments with words and controlled others through a charisma Lelouch just barely matched.
His com pinged. It was Tamaki. "P-4, what is it?" Lelouch sat straighter.
"An enemy is coming! It's the same one from Shin-OHSHIT!" Static overcame the com and on the tactical map it showed Tamaki's Sutherland disappear from the screen.
The same unit from Shinjuku? Lelouch frowned and closed his eyes to collect himself before he could feel the indignant rage at that particular pilot. "Q-1, P-1! Fall back to me! The White Knightmare from Shinjuku has been deployed! Judging by where it engaged Tamaki," He paused and activated his Fact Spheres.
There it was. Moving through the streets, up onto buildings and coming straight for him.
"It's after me specifically." Lelouch finished with a glare. "Do not move to intercept! It wants me and so I need to run bait."
"But, Zero-" Kallen tried to protest.
"No buts! I'll draw it into the building, I'll force close quarters combat, it should buy you two time to get here." Lelouch knew he couldn't outrun that thing in the open, so he had to try and bait it into a merry chase to give his two remaining pieces time to get here and hopefully their combined talents would be enough to stop that Knightmare.
"I won't let you ruin this victory as well," The former prince muttered and rolled his neck before gripping the controls and glancing over at the distant Britannian forces. None moved to pursue the White Knightmare and that made Lelouch nervous. Did they send him in alone? No backup? Are they that confident in his talent? Or merely using him to test for anymore of my traps?
That was when Lelouch saw a slash harken impale itself through one of the windows and into the ceiling of the building he had been using as an observation post to conduct the battle. The former prince raised his AK-03 rifle and fired off a grenade shell before using his Landspinners to pull back.
The Knightmare cleared the window and twisted out of the way of the shell like it expected the attack before it fell into a crouch and used its own Landspinners to give chase. Lelouch grit his teeth and opened fire, spraying a wall of armor piercing rounds at the quickly gaining white and gold nightmare.
It raised it's arm and a glimmering green field appeared and deflected the rounds without even slowing down the unit itself. It's hand reached for something behind its back and withdrew some large blue and gold rifle. It raised it and Lelouch gasped before jerking the controls left sending his Sutherland into a spin in the tight spaces behind one of the concrete support pillars of the building's structure.
The round the thing fired tore through the support and Lelouch suddenly felt his machine fall into a tumble, landing belly first across the floor with enough force that the floor below him cracked and gave way, sending him to the one below and shaking the former prince around the cockpit.
Lelouch groaned and felt his head spinning before he shook it to clear and tried to get his machine to stand. It was then he realized his left arm hurt and wasn't responding as well as he'd like. He glanced over and tried to lift it, pain lanced up and down his arm, making him wince and growl. "Must have… dislocated it." He growled, reaching up with his other hand to try and soothe the pain.
That was when another rumble alerted him that he had not been alone. He turned left and saw the White Knightmare ejecting a battery pack from it's rifle and inserting another before raising it to the downed Sutherland. Lelouch glared and reached for the control to raise his weapon and fire it!
And like himself, the Sutherland's left arm was not responsive… in fact it was laying a good three feet away from him. AK-03 rifle still in it's desperate grip.
Lelouch wanted to groan. But he settled for silently seething. "Q-1, P-1, where are you?" He wasn't panicking, okay maybe a little. "Respond!"
Static greeted him. He glanced at his systems screen and saw his communications were damaged. He paled. There was no way to contact his remaining forces. Damnit! Not again! I am so close to defeating Cornelia and you will not rob this perfect victory from me again! Lelouch gripped one of the controls and readied a slash harken.
"Zero!" The White Knightmare spoke over the intercom and it was then that Lelouch froze at the voice he was hearing.
"It can't be…" Lelouch whispered as he tried to place that voice anywhere, to anyone but the person his mind was telling him.
"You're defeated! Surrender now and I swear I will see you are safely taken into custody to face justice!" The pilot of the White machine continued, completely unaware of the now distraught former prince inside the Sutherland.
Lelouch felt cold sweat form on his brow before he reached up and remove his mask, wiping it away and sliding the mask back on. Suzaku… you are the pilot, but how? Why? Numbers weren't allowed to hold weapons let alone pilot Knightmares and yet the voice was unmistakable! He gripped the controls and flicked the intercom on.
"Kururugi," The dark haired teen forced his voice to cool despite the inner turmoil he was feeling. "I suspected you might have been piloting that Knightmare…" He hadn't, not for a thousand years did Lelouch ever dream of that. "No Britannian would ever risk their own machine for some Japanese civilians."
"Regardless," Lelouch went on as he readied the harken. Kallen, Ohgi, where the hell are you two? He thought. "I'm afraid for the sake of justice! I cannot surrender!"
He fired the harken into the floor, it gave way just as the white Knightmare was about to reach over to pry his cockpit open. He landed on the floor below, he raised his Sutherland before moving full speed for the nearest exit to get away from his best friend. Who was trying to capture him and send him to Britannia.
Lelouch felt sick.
"Kallen, where the hell the are you?!" He snarled. Where were his pieces? He couldn't defeat that machine alone!
"Zero!" Suzaku called behind him as he dropped down and aimed that rifle again at him. "You can't escape! Stop now or I will fire!" Lelouch kept going, moving to the left now to hide behind some ruined walls. "Have it your way!"
Lelouch put his Knightmare into full speed. "If I can get outside-" And then the wall beside him exploded outwards, showering his machine in debris and there was a flash of green as the round that his own friend fired tore through the blocky chest of his Sutherland and sent the machine into another tumble that had the former prince feeling even more sick.
Now on his back and staring at a warning screen that his energy filler link was damage and the machine wasn't being sufficiently powered, Lelouch felt oddly cold. "Damn…" His arm still hurt though. He reached up for the emergency eject handles… then realized he needed both arms to pull them.
"…" A sigh.
Thudding steps before Lelouch turned his gaze to his remaining camera and he saw the white machine step into view and level its rifle at him. Right for the cockpit block. "Last chance, Zero," Suzaku said with an ounce of hope in his voice. "Surrender now. I don't want to kill you."
"You… owe me, Kururugi." Lelouch bit out as he activated the intercom. "I saved your life… And this is your repayment? Are you so Britannia's dog that you'll kill one of the last hopes for it's freedom?!"
There was a pause. "This isn't about me, or you." Suzaku replied with some sadness. "If you continue to do as you have, a friend…will probably join you, and if he does, he might leave someone else behind, someone important to us both." He could hear the conviction in his tone now and Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "I won't let him risk his life for your cause, Zero. That's why I'm stopping you here and now!"
"Not on your life, Britannian!" Another voice suddenly called and surprised them both.
Kallen sent her machine forward and tossed the jousting lance right at the White and gold machine, who had been aiming at Zero not a moment before. It barely dodged and turned to face her… only to receive her foot to its gut, metal groaned and bent on both sides at the force of the kick. But it was ultimate the White machine that was sent slamming back into, and through, a wall.
"Q-1!" Zero called to her. "Good timing!" He sounded less than pleased, but still relieved at her arrival. "Where's P-1?"
"He'll be here soon! When you didn't respond to our calls I thought something was up," She replied and moved over to his fallen Sutherland, turning it over onto its side so he could open it's hatch. "Eject out the building side! I'll keep this bastard pinned here!"
"Of course," Lelouch sounded suddenly weary. "Q-1, that Knightmare is carrying experimental technology, capture it if you can. If you cannot, disable it. I'd like the pilot alive…" A pause. "If at all possible."
"Right!" Kallen gripped the controls and tossed a Chaos mine into the air, it deployed as the white machine raised its arms and deployed its shields, barely catching the hail of shrapnel. She reached down and took it's discarded rifle in hand. "Well, now let's see how you like it!"
She aimed. And when the barrel parted and extended she blinked. "Okay, that's kinda cool." She noted and then said. "Take this!" She pulled the trigger. The weapon charged briefly before firing with enough force to send a strong shudder through her Knightmare. The powerful round slammed into the shield and then the machine broke through the floor from the force of it. She saw it eject a spent battery pack and she blinked.
She pulled the trigger. It didn't fire again.
"A single shot, really?"
She tossed the rifle aside and deployed her stun batons. Moving over to the hole and finding the white Knightmare gone. "The hell-" The floor exploded beneath her as a pair of hands smashed through and gripped the ankles of her Sutherland. "No way!"
For a moment she felt weightless as she fell… before being slammed body first onto the floor and crashing through down to the ground level, her Sutherland groaned and several of systems reported damage in the actuators on her legs and arms. She grit her teeth and rolled to the side to barely avoid a sword impaling her unit at the waist.
Said sword was red and it carved the stone floor like a hot knife through butter. "Nice toy!" She reached over and gripped the handle of the unoccupied sword still attached to it's back and with an attempted kick sent the Knightmare away with a jump.
She held fast and the blade slide from it's scabbard. It hissed and sealed itself, turning the same red color as the other that almost skewered her. Activating her Landspinners she drove left and leapt out of the building, turning to cut away a pair of Slash Harkens she'd merely meant to block. "Now this is more like it!" She needed one of these… whatever they were.
The machine leapt out after her and twisted in the air, going into a spin kick. Something she didn't expect and when she raised her sword to lop it's leg off she was surprised when it's leg curled, the blade barely skimming it's knee armor before it's own blade came around and suddenly her main camera was gone.
A feint! She thought before her Knightmare was sent staggering from a second blow she obviously couldn't see coming. She grit her teeth and took a blind slash. She hit nothing and finally another shake before her sensors showed her arms had been removed at the elbows. "Damnit! I'm done here!"
She was outmatched. The unit performance between her Sutherland and whatever unit she was fighting was too great. She was good but that bastard was better, he knew his machine and she couldn't match his brute strength. "Kallen! I have Zero, where are you now?"
"Outside! Trying to keep alive! This damn things a monster!" She replied as she pulled what was left of her Knightmare into reverse.
"Zero say's it's time! You're outside so that's good. Cornelia's just launched her forces! They're closing as he speak, use escape route theta! O-Oh, I mean gamma!" He sounded urgent. "Now!"
"Damn, fine!" She gripped her ejection levers and pulled. A sudden jerk and she knew she was free from her Knightmare's body. A hard landing and she opened her hatch just as a wave of explosives set off inside many of the remaining buildings around the Saitama ghetto. The buildings swayed then all began to topple.
Massive empty structures of stone and steel fell and as they hit Kallen knew each one could be right on atop an approaching force, crushing their machines to nothing and none would survive the spectacle taking place around them as each tumbled and fell like dominoes. She looked over at the building she had fought inside of and saw it owns structure buckle, but this time it didn't fall in any direction and instead began to crumble down to the ground.
She blinked and kicked into overtime as the White Machine turned to see the building's state. She bolted down the street as the ground began to rumble as if an Earthquake was beginning to build up. Around her she felt weakened structures began to snap and crack as the violent shaking set them off their last legs of life.
When she got to the escape route she'd planned to use as per Lelouch's escape plan, was now covered by the debris of the building that housed it, a good chunk of what appeared to be a Knightmare VTOL jet having crashed into it.
She stared. "Damnit!"
A few blocks down the street, and all around the ghetto, the tall structures slammed into the ground like the hammer blows of the gods themselves. Dust kicked up and swept through the streets inwards, she watched the cloud approach before turning and hiding in the doorway as the previous dust cloud from the central building met the other in a gust of air that dirtied the air so badly Kallen opened her eyes and could barely see five feet in front of her.
She knew the plan would be put to use now, she had to escape and link up with the others before it was done. But where could she go? She had no radio to call for backup and she had no map! She reached into her pocket and pulled out her piloting goggles before sliding them over her eyes.
"Looks like I'm hoofing it then…" She'd have plenty of cover, at least. She also briefly wondered what happened to that White Knightmare.
The redhead stopped and glanced over her shoulder when she felt someone watching her. She jumped when she saw a form in the dust, standing there as if it had always been there looking at her. Closer inspection made her reach for her knife, the figure also moved forward with speed she hadn't been expecting.
Her knife was free of it sheathe when she felt fingers wrapped around her left bicep and a palm thrusting into her gut with enough force to wind her. Gasping for air that her lungs were suddenly deprived of she wasn't allowed to stagger when the grip tightened on her arm before the palm to her gut snapped up and took the fabric of her top.
Her hand with the blade shot out to try and catch her attacker in the face, but the man, least from what she could see through the dust, ducked low and lifted her smaller frame at the same time before bringing her up and over back first onto the ground, again adding to her winded state. A boot planted to her wrist and her knife ceased to be a threat.
The handgun barrel pressed to her forehead also helped render her more or less helpless. "The hell are you!?" Of course, physically helpless didn't make her any less defiant to whoever the hell this jackass was.
The man above her merely observed her before saying. "You piloted the Red Sutherland, right?" His voice was gruff, aged in a sense that he had seen too, too much. A tone that told her he was burdened by so much that the weight was straining him. "Well?"
She narrowed her eyes and glared up at him despite the gun to her head. She could make out fair skin, dark brown hair and what appeared to be an eye patch over his right eye. He was wearing a scarf, or mask? Over his face as well, obscuring the rest of the details of his face frown the nose down..
He was however dressed like someone involved in a para-military unit. Not Britannian, nor any uniform she could place. "Well?" He prompted her further by applying a bit more pressure to her wrist. She winced.
"Who's asking?"
"I'll take that as confirmation," The man grunted and reached behind himself to withdraw something from one of his many pouches.
He placed it beside her and said, "It's a PDA with a message for Zero. Ensure he gets it," The man paused, then he added. "And if he doesn't get it. I will know. And I will expose your secret to the Britannian authorities, miss Stadtfeld."
Kallen didn't have time to be shocked before he pulled his boot away and stepped back, keeping the gun levelled on her until he was far enough away that he had to call to her. "I'd rather not do that to you. So I'll help clarify to you a bit. If all works out, Zero and I will be talking about possible mutually beneficial goals."
And with that cryptic speech the man stepped back into the dust cloud and disappeared entirely.
She coughed finally and reached for the PDA, lifting it to see it was indeed a map, showing her location and the local area. She could navigate easier now and get linked up with the others. She could also hear the explosions that signalled the final phase of the plan was drawing to a close. With a pained wince she collected her whirling thoughts and placed them second place to her current objective of leaving Saitama first before getting into anything involving the mystery man.
Kallen breathed, then moved off. She needed to get back to everyone first then worry about the man in the dust.
All she knew for sure was the battle of Saitama was over. And hopefully when the dust cleared they could say they won.
By the time afternoon rolled around the mess at Saitama had been covered by as best as it could by the local government officials. Officially the entire operation was a success, terrorists were engaged and neutralized, however due to the high numbers of them in the ghetto itself the battle had been destructive enough to level much of the ghetto's higher structures.
Unofficially, and that was what Lelouch cared about, he knew it was a total flop for Cornelia's real to plan to entrap. It was almost worth the dislocated shoulder.
Pop!
Lelouch grit his teeth and winced. Almost. He looked over to C.C and frowned, "You seem to know what you're doing." He said dryly with a hint of interest once he'd returned home Ashford after explaining the success of the operation to the other member's of Ohgi's resistance cell.
He'd left his second-in-command to ensure the civilians were safely transported and distributed amongst the remaining ghettos until Saitama was deemed safe again for habitation by the people. Many had been distraught that they lost what the called home, but others thankfully were more than grateful that Zero had brought down the Witch of Britannia's veil of undefeated strength. He imagined support would grow for such a feat.
"I've been many things over the centuries," C.C said as she patted his bare shoulder with an almost tender affection that didn't quite reach her eyes. "A previous occupation as a doctor helped in this case."
"Centuries?" Lelouch raised a brow. "You expect me to believe you've lived that long?"
"No, nor do I truly care, my truth is my own, just as yours is yours." She shrugged and stepped off the bed and stretched her arms over her head. She was wearing one of his white button up shirts and from the brief peek of white lace, panties. But beyond that Lelouch deduced she wore nothing else.
Most teens would be bothered by this revelation, flustered even. But Lelouch was too exhausted to even begin to allow his mind to go there. "I'll simply take your word for it this time." He yawned and flopped back onto his bed. Nunnally had already gone to bed when he'd arrived, C.C having apparently told her a story to help ease his sisters worry over him.
He admitted that he owed C.C quite a bit for that. "Thank you for putting Nunnally to bed in my absence." He said while staring at the ceiling.
C.C glanced over at him before looking away with a small giggle. "Don't make a habit of it, she asks questions about our relationship and one day I'm going to get a bit more intimate in our lie." She teased with a coy smirk.
Lelouch's brow ticked and he closed his eyes. "Your life. Not mine, I didn't agree to lie about us being in any sort of relationship. You're just saying that to get a rise out of me and mess with my sister."
"Oh, how presumptuous." C.C drawled with amusement glinting in those amber eyes. "It's to mess with you. Your sister's adorable questions are merely the icing on the cake."
"Hn," Lelouch grunted and lifted himself up into a sitting position again before standing and moving over to something he would have to address sooner or later. The Personal Data Assistant that Kallen had delivered to him.
Inside their hideout.
He had been internally furious at her lack of foresight. Had it been a GPS tracker for Britannian forces he and the others would have been captured or killed. But since she'd waited a half hour to give it to him and explain how she came by it, along with a description of who handed it to her he could safely say he had no clue who sent it. Only that they knew her secret and that they apparently wanted to discuss "mutually beneficial goals".
And since no one had stormed their hideout nor his home Lelouch could only guess that this message was genuine or a very, very convincing joke by some idiot. But even if it was real there was one problem.
The PDA held nothing of interest.
It had a map, some coordinates that lead to various escapes routes out of Saitama, all of which Lelouch himself had scouted and secured for the civilians, meaning whoever this was had either done it as well or watched Lelouch and his troops do so, either way it was just as disconcerting.
Beyond that the thing was empty. No markings, no hidden notes inside the battery or memory drive slots. Just a normal, everyday PDA.
Unless you're looking in the wrong spots. Lelouch thought with narrowed eyes as he took it over to his work desk and cleared it off before pulling out a toolbox and opening it, revealing various instruments all neatly ordered inside it. He looked at the PDA and grabbed a screwdriver. He set to work disassembling it.
After a minute he pulled the casing in two and peered at the two halves for anything out of place. A moment before he saw it on the lower half. A card meant for cellphones that had no place, literally, inside the PDA itself. It wasn't connected to anything and was held there by an adhesive that, when Lelouch applied some heated jet from a small blowtorch, melted right off and allowed the chip to come off easy.
He cleaned it and stared at it. Then he pulled his "Zero" phone, a simple phone that would be traced back to some simple cornershop with crap security camera's and lax security, forever in the inventory listed as "in stock". He slid the card into the slot and accessed it on the phone. The screen flickered once before suddenly his phone dialled a number he didn't recognize.
A ring, then two. Finally on the third someone picked up and Lelouch waited.
"Zero," A gruff voice greeted with some impatience. "Just found the card, I take it?" The way the tone of voice said it felt like the man had expected him to find the card faster than he appeared to.
"No, actually." Lelouch replied easily as he slipped into his Zero persona. "I just needed to make sure the PDA didn't pose a threat, such as a GPS tracker, two way radio, explosive. You know, security measures for someone of my… position."
A grunt of approval. "I see, smart. But before we go further with this, I think introductions are in order." The man paused and Lelouch could swear it sounded like the man was smoking on his end. "My name is Big Boss."
Big Boss? Lelouch frowned in thought as he considered the sheer oddness of such a name, or perhaps it was merely a title? It seemed more a title than an actual name. "Big Boss" Can't say I've heard of you." Lelouch said dryly.
"I'm not surprised, I'm not the sort of man you hear about while being taught at Ashford," Lelouch's eyes widened as the words filtered through the cellphone. "Lelouch Lamperouge." Lelouch's heart almost stopped and he felt himself leaning against the table in shock.
I've been found out? How? Who am I talking to? Are they a threat? The questions kept coming and each pulled the former prince into a growing sense of panic until the voice came back over the line.
"Calm down, slow your breathing. I'm not an enemy if that's what you're having a small panic attack over." The voice sounded more annoyed, but also a tad more gentle, which was weird since the voice sounded like it would be right at home ordering the death of hundreds. "If it helps, I'll address you as Zero. Since that's who I want to speak to, not the school boy."
Shock slowly waned and Lelouch did indeed slow his breathing before sighing once more and narrowing his eyes. "You know my name, but what's yours? I doubt it's really Big Boss."
"I have no name. Whatever one I had has since been forgotten when my parents died, since then I've only been a soldier, lately I've taken to calling myself John Miller." Another pause. "John Miller, will have to do for you." Another deep inhale, before a slower exhale. Lelouch was convinced the man on the other end was smoking.
"You mentioned mutually beneficial goals." Lelouch rained his emotions in and forced himself into the cool frame of mind he had to use to command his pieces during battle the times he'd done it. "What did you mean?"
"Exactly as it means, our goals could be beneficial to each other, and in being so, there would be no reason for us not to work together." John replied as if Lelouch were the one in charge, and the former prince knew it as a tactic to try and gain some subtle favor to make him more agreeable.
Lelouch wouldn't fall so easily for it.
"Could be? Meaning what?" Lelouch asked pointedly, going as far as to tune out C.C who was stretching languidly on his bed while hugging her Cheese-kun, how she'd racked up the points for that thing in mere days was beyond him, he didn't even want to know where she kept him from Lelouch's sight until now.
"What are your goals, as Zero?" Was the blunt question.
Lelouch pondered the question in silence for a few moments. He knew his goals, destroy Britannia, make the world a gentler place for Nunnally, and god willing, himself to remain at her side to enjoy it with her. But he wasn't sure how much this John Miller knew. "In a nutshell I seek the destruction of Britannia, the liberation of Japan and the emperor and royal family brought to justice for their many crimes against those below their station." Lelouch replied with as much grandiose emphasis as he could muster.
There was a bout of silence from the other line other than another drag of whatever the man was smoking. "Idealistic, too much so for the school boy behind the mask. Your reasoning probably goes deeper, you use honey words and beautiful speeches. I saw your performance during the Kururugi incident." John said finally. "You're feeding the food of the masses. I want to real reason, Zero."
That had the former prince frowning. A man who used idealism in such a conversation, like it was something he couldn't, or hadn't grasped for a long while made the former prince shiver in a way that had him thinking of why that sounded so familiar. "I do it for my sister. She was crippled by Britannia, her sight and legs stolen from her." He wouldn't mince words now. "I hate Britannia, I hate the royal family and I despise emperor Charles zi Britanna. I fight for revenge and to achieve my sister's wish of proving a gentler, more safe world for her to live in."
"Revenge, mixed with brotherly devotion," John mumbled, sounding like he was digesting the speech itself before he said. "But is she a reason… or an excuse?"
"What?" Lelouch hissed in sudden anger.
"Your sister, are you sure she's a reason for it… or just the added excuse you need to justify the path you've set yourself on. The one that will take you to the depths of the hell that is the battlefield, that is war." John went on with a voice of icy accusation. "Each life you take, on both sides, will be on your hands. Friend and foe alike will die and each will leave someone else behind. You'll rob brothers and sisters of their own siblings."
Lelouch suddenly felt like he had been struck in the gut. "I know," he growled without as much as bite he'd have liked.
"You'll ruin families, earn the scorn of both sides for killing and failing to bring their loved ones home. Loved ones who wouldn't have been on the field had you not lead them to your side. To your personal vendetta."
"I. Know." Lelouch hissed and closed his eyes. He wanted to chuck the phone across the room and never hear that voice again.
"And in the end, when all is said and done. When you've killed Britannia as it is, the royal family, the nation. The masses will cheer you as the victor, the losers will forever vilify you." John went on with the same icy coldness that made Lelouch feel he was standing before his own father again, being banished and dismissed as a tool. "Are you prepared to accept that when all is done, that your victory, no matter how grand it may or may not be. Could become ash in your mouth and stones in your heart?"
"I am!" Lelouch snarled with a fire that he'd not felt since before he'd faced his father in the throne room. When he denounced his title and right to the throne as a Prince of Britannia. His eyes watered at the corners. "I am and I will! I'll accept all of it to ensure my objective! All the blood, the loss and hatred! I…" He grit his teeth. "I have been ready since I put a bullet through my half-brother's skull!"
"…" Silence ruled between the two as Lelouch slowly panted into the phone before finally John spoke again. "Even for all that, your gentle sister may end up hating you for all the blood you've spilled in part of her name?"
That stopped Lelouch cold. So cold he could have been shot and not even feel the wound for how much that sheer question shook his core. Nunnally… hating me? He couldn't begin to fathom the thought of his only family, his everything that he worked to protect hating him for trying to give her the world she desired. It was simply unthinkable! Impossible! She accepted Britannia! She accepted their father! Even now she spoke of their time with their wretched family with a smile and fondness Lelouch had since forgotten.
She couldn't hate me. Lelouch thought to himself firmly. She and I are all we have, I can't hate her and she couldn't hate me. He closed his eyes and willed the painful doubt that suddenly took root in his heart to silence with its accusations that it could very well happen. He focused his emotional turmoil on the other end. "Why are you even bothering with these speeches?"
"Because war isn't a game, or a thing you do on a whim and an ideal in hand." The man replied stiffly. "It's a hell that will punish your heart and mind, it will torture you in ways you can't begin to imagine and it will bring your own life, and that of others, into a perspective that will either destroy you or you will survive stronger than before."
"Then what are your goals?" Lelouch asked, suddenly feeling exhausted as the day caught up with him fully. "What drives you? You sound as if none of this interests you."
"The fact we're talking shows otherwise." Big Boss replied simply. "As for my reasons? Britannia took my mentor, my own family away from me. I want revenge for them." Another drag. "And you remind me of myself when I was younger. Idealistic, working to better the world for others dreams. You have your sister and I had my mentor."
Had? Lelouch frowned. "Funny how our reasons seem almost identical."
An amused grunt. "Right, that's why we're talking. You want something I do as well, you'll need men, training and equipment. Things that I'm sure you'll come by if you attract them through the proper channels that the usual resistance cells work with, the Kyoto group."
"The Kyoto group?"
"The Six houses of Kyoto, the name of the six most influential surviving members of Japan's old government, they are the primary backers of the Japan Liberation Front and they have been known to provide aid to other smaller groups who prove to be capable." Big Boss explained easily. "Since most of their resistance cells have been wiped by Cornelia, leaving only the JLF and a handful of smaller groups, you'll likely begin attracting their attention after what you did to Cornelia. However, in accepting their aid…" He trailed off.
"I'll be indebted to them and therefore forced to work with their other forces, because I'll be using their resources." Lelouch frowned a the logic. In his own viewpoint it was a brilliant plan. Provide aid and ensure those you're helping are under your thumb when you need them. Ensuring that you, in the end, controlled the flow and resistance and who fought.
"A sound system to maintain power." Lelouch admitted and frowned. "But therein lies the trap, correct? To be indebted to them is to possibly be bogged down in their inner circle politics. And if my goal is to be realized I would need to control them, which has risks of its own."
"Yes. But what I offer is independent supplies from a power not affiliated with any nation's government. Weapons, ammunition, armor should you really require it." A pause. "Technical expertise and training. However, Knightmare technology isn't something I can promise."
"Everything has a catch," The former prince narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "What's yours, John?"
"My catch is that if you back out, if you fail to destroy Britannia, or even to liberate Japan, I will not allow you to survive that failure." The man replied as if he just told Lelouch the weather report rather than the promise of his life being ended. "If you're going to launch a war, this one must be win or lose."
"Those are difficult conditions for facing the world's strongest superpower, John," Lelouch replied with some venom. "If it were so easy, you'd have done it." He stopped when he realized Kallen had used the same words against him before on the train when he first met the resistance cell's higher ups. She'd said the same thing… and he'd told her he would do it regardless.
Where was that confidence now that he was being promised the support to achieve it? Or that he was being told that he wouldn't allowed to fail lest his life be forfeit, which it would be anyways if his rebellion failed in the first place. The conditions were the same only now Lelouch would probably not have to worry about such strings.
But of course, he had sure fire way to ensure he wouldn't. His eye briefly activating, bringing the sigil of Geass to his now red tinted gaze. "But you make an excellent point, but before we can even begin discussing any of this. You and I should meet, face to face. A sign of mutual trust. If you will."
There was a pause before finally John said. "Agreed. Do you have a location in mind?"
The perfect one. Lelouch thought. "Are you aware of the Kururugi shrine?"
"I know it, yes."
"Good," Lelouch considered. "Shall we meet there… tomorrow at around seven in the afternoon?"
An approving grunt. "I can do that. Alone?"
"We may bring one companion each, preferably any we see fit to make such important decisions with." Lelouch replied with false consideration. In truth if he snared both John and his ally, then this would be all the more smooth for him.
"Very well, I look forward to our meeting, Zero."
"As do I." Lelouch hung up and set the phone down with a small chuckle, which turned into a more mirthful laugh. Finally he was about to cackl- Thump! Lelouch staggered a bit and saw C.C had thrown a pillow at him.
"Nunnally is sleeping." She said simply and rolled over, dragging the blanket with her and snuggling into her Cheese-kun.
Lelouch's brow twitched before he sighed and moved onto his bed, sitting down before laying down as well, above the blanket C.C was using and their backs facing each other as had become their ritual. He stayed away, listening to her soft breathing while he eyed the wall with silence and thoughts moving through his head along with his conversation with John.
And the doubts that it had brought him. Along with the single fear of his sister's possible hatred of his actions. No matter. Lelouch tried to dismiss as he closed his tired eyes and tried to focus on sleeping. Tomorrow, I'll see who this John is… and if he can provide what he said, he will be under my command.
He didn't even want to consider the thought of dealing with Suzaku Kururugi just yet. Not yet.
End of chapter 5
There it is folks, chapter 5 in all it's glory! And yup, it's coming. It's almost here! The big meeting. The whoooole thing that I've been stalling for awhile. Big Boss and Zero meeeeeet! Now, you must all wait until next chapter! Thank you to those have shown their support with reviews, favs and follows! You all give me the fuel to write this.
And poor, poor Lulu. How ever will he deal with the drama of knowing his best pal is the single biggest threat to his life? Hehe... HAHAHAAHA! MUWAHAHAAH!
Now, goodnight!