Author's Ramblings: And here, I had my first writer's block since starting the story. This part is a necessity, and a departure from the usual part of the story, especially for what I have in mind for later.
The shifting between the two groups will be constant throughout the two chapters, as this part focuses on them more than on anyone else. I promise that others will get their chance at some screentime later on.
Well, no need for further rambling, enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 9: For the Sake of Knowledge
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It was no great feat to organize three train tickets for the Narita region, especially since C.C. had long since learned to travel low profile… when she wanted to, that is.
To Lelouch, the notion of travel was boring at best, and frightening at worst. And for simple enough reasons as well, Lelouch was blind, and even his Geass induced vision couldn't make up for many of his problems. It certainly did him a lot of good, his ability to see living beings, especially if he was out in the middle of nowhere.
Sarcasm aside, he was content that Nunnally seemed enthusiastic about this trip. He had the slight feeling that the two girls he was sitting with hadn't told him everything about where they were going, but he didn't mind. For once, he was perfectly content to leave everything in Nunnally's hands. This time, she would be the one in charge, and he would follow. If necessary, he could always intervene or offer advice, but for the time being, he would leave things as is.
This was her trial as much as his, and he was looking forward to see what she had planned for this.
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'Not so easily, you won't.' Jeremiah thought as he eyed his prey from a safe distance aboard the train. His hunch had proven itself correct, and the two were at Ashford academy, but they weren't on the public roster, which meant that the Ashford family who ran the place, were likely hiding them for a reason.
He had taken the chance to pass by Ashford academy that morning, more to take a look at the place before he did anything… and nearly crashed into a lamppost when he saw the two, joined by some green-haired girl. Fortunately, he was across the street, and none of the three seemed to notice him
The features of the two apparent siblings matched those of the late Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia perfectly. The hair, the eyes, the frames that so closely matched that of their mother, yet still retaining some of their father, though it was more in the boy's case, than in the girl's.
Now, there were a number of thing that came to mind, a number of doubts that now weighed upon him. He could contact princess Cornelia, and report of the sighting, he could wait and confirm it before doing the same and it would in the least get him and Villeta in the princess' good graces, but something nagged him. The two could have contacted Britannia without much fuss before. Even with all the possible issues, Lelouch would have been wise enough to demand a DNA test, and that alone would have been enough to prove the claim.
So why didn't they? He had heard rumors about how the two siblings were cast out of court, having fallen from the emperor's favor after the death of their mother, Marianne. Come to think of it, the Ashford foundation supported Marianne till her death, so it was very reasonable to assume they supported Lelouch and Nunnally as well, if for nothing else, because they would serve as political leverage.
Some of the… darker rumors he had heard suggested of a rift between Lelouch and emperor Charles, and that the boy held his father responsible for Marianne's death. After that, being sent away as political hostages wouldn't improve his opinion on his family. 'And that was reason enough, I suppose. Ambition is one thing, but Lelouch always loved his little sister, and his blindness means that he's already seen as a second class citizen in the court. Neither of them would want to return.' He realized. Certainly, he wasn't close to the royal family, being a mere guard back then, but he had observed the two children more than a few times, and their mother's radiant, proud smile at their antics as well.
All that came to a crashing halt as one thought came unbidden to him. Two academy students, even highly capable one, wouldn't have been able to escape the chaos at Shinjuku without being noticed at least once. Villeta had spotted them right before they vanished into thin air, and she had already checked the lists of those who were killed in the incident, there were no Britannian civilians, let alone students. So the question remained, how did they get out?
'Villeta last spotted them right before her frame vanished, and that same frame later attacked us, and turned the entire battle around. That same person inside the frame was directly responsible for Clovis' death, and most likely that unreasonable ceasefire. Zero had publicly stated that he had killed Clovis, bringing out the same type of weapon that had killed the prince, still bloodied. And there was no way he could have known if he wasn't there. My god, what if… it seems unreasonable, but what if Zero is Lelouch vi Britannia? But then, how would he make up for his blindness? ' he mused, the shocking conclusion leaving him slightly lost in thought, but certain to return to it once he had more information to confirm or deny what he had reasoned.
Villeta would be boarding the next train to the region, just as soon as she got some supplies together. And by then, he would have some idea of what they were doing, and confront them. One way or another, Jeremiah Gottwald would get to the bottom of this. If that were the children of lady Marianne vi Britannia, his duty was clear. He only hoped Villeta would understand.
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Hours had passed, and it was nearing dark. Surprisingly, to Lelouch at least, Narita was not a small city at all. While one would likely make the same mistake while looking on the map, Narita was a place where many of the Britannian residents of Area 11 went during weekends to partake in the pleasures the local hot springs offered, or simply to get out of the hum and drum of the Tokyo settlement.
All this, merely benefited the group of three, as it meant that they could move freely, almost certain that no one would notice three young Britannians amongst a throng of others. Secrecy was still high on Lelouch's list of priorities.
It took no great effort to locate and identify which of the three locations housed the base, the 'Data crunching facility' as the reports described it. He was proud of Nunnally, as she and C.C. had managed to gather the entire command structure of the CODE-R project over the course of the past several nights, and Nunnally herself had pretty much lead this entire action since the beginning.
The plan his little sister had presented was simple: locate, survey and infiltrate. Unlike him, Nunnally wasn't a strategist, she was a tactician. While he had little time to study her skills, the duel between her and Suzaku had told him a lot. She was able to plan ahead of time, leaving her options always open, and using the terrain to her advantage, but her true ability, from what he could tell, had lain in the fact that she could adapt incredibly quickly. Her plan, unlike his, was broad, given only general objectives. Adaptation would follow.
Tis approach had one major advantage over his, one he tended to nullify most of the time, true, but one that gave Nunnally the potential to become a lethal pilot if given the chance. She didn't need to have vast amounts of data Lelouch relied upon (or deduced from data already present), to form and execute her plans.
She was not the miracle maker he was, but he knew that little tidbit of information about his sister would serve them both well in the future.
His thoughts drifted away from his sister, to his apparent partner in crime, C.C.
He knew so little of the woman that walked with them now, but he had seen glimpses of who she was beneath uncracking porcelain mask that was her face and the mirror-like golden eyes. As much as the face can stay still, the voice is far more difficult to control, and to the finely trained ear he possessed, it took only moderate effort to pinpoint the emotions within.
As of lately, he could tell the sense of longing in her voice, as if she missed something. Short bursts of his Geass vision revealed to him that she at times watched when he talked to his sister, or to other friends. There was an undertone he had until recently failed to realize, that is, until he sat down to think a few days ago. Loneliness and sorrow. The weight and weariness of years he had witnessed in people as a child, but could not then identify.
Sadly, he had more important things to do than ponder the meanings of existence and the emotions if fickle immortals…
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Nunnally herself was a little nervous. Yes, her brother had let her run this as she saw fit, going as far as to put himself under her command, along with his Geass, though he warned her not to abuse its power. But so far, it had been his plans that had gotten them through everything.
'Great, your one big chance to prove yourself and you go and doubt your every move.' She mused, only slightly irritated by this. She had picked up a few traits from her brother… having spent as much time as she did around him, it was to be expected. To her friends, she was still the sweet, kind girl she always was, but as Suzaku discovered (or didn't for that matter), the sweet little girl had fangs, of the long, sharp and lethally poisonous variety. And she sure as hell wasn't afraid to bite.
'Calm down Nunnally, you can do this. Just remember what Lelouch taught you, and everything will be just fine.' She repeated to herself as she eyed their target. 'As soon as we find an opening.'
The CODE-R personnel had chosen a warehouse at the edge of the city, just off the highway, to be their base. The fact that the warehouse was just one in a line of many ensured some degree of privacy to them, and the closeness to the road allowed for quick deliveries. Night was slowly falling already, and for the time being, they would stay there and bide their time to strike.
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'I've got the weapons, the spare clothes… ugh… and some cash on me. That should be it for the weekend.' Villeta thought tiredly as the lights of the train station came into distant view.
She was tired, she noted, though of what, was a good question. Ever since that night in Shinjuku mere weeks ago, things had gone from prim, proper and orderly to downright strange. She didn't have the words to express how much it irritated her that she couldn't remember those few minutes there, where it all began.
Her standing within the purist faction had fallen ever since the fiasco with the Kururugi trial, and she had almost lost her knighthood as well. And if that wasn't enough, they had docked her pay substantially, enough so that she wasn't sure she'd be able to pay the next month's bills.
"Miss, your coffee is here." The waiter stated, bringing her up from her thoughts, and passing the small cup over to her table. She had to admit it, the elevens knew how to make trains. There wasn't as much as a ripple on the surface of her cup as the maglev train moved onward to its destination.
"Thank you." She responded shortly, paying the bill before turning her attention back to the passing scenery. In the darkness of the night, it was easy to spot the majority of the inhabited areas around, as they were the only sources of light apart for the moon and stars.
'What am I doing?' she wondered silently, eyes shortly closing as she pulled a short sip of the warm beverage. 'If those two really are prince Lelouch and princess Nunnally vi Britannia, what then? I mean, sure, we could contact princess Cornelia, but why would two royal brats simply stick around Area 11 without revealing themselves? It makes no goddamn sense. And now I'm stuck going god knows where.'
She had to admit, things weren't going too well for her. Her career was in shambles, what little social life she had, since it was mostly within the pureblood faction, went down the drain since she supported Jeremiah, and her own personal goals were… well, not much to say there.
Slowly but surely, the train station came into view, and there, she could easily spot the form of her friend, waiting for her. Well, one way or another, they would find out what the hell was going on.
"You're late." Jeremiah announced with a smirk as she left the train.
"I got held up a bit. Your place is a mess." She countered, throwing the man one of the two bags she was carrying.
"Sorry, didn't see much of it lately. Not much use cleaning up a place you only drop by to sleep." He explained, grabbing the bag effortlessly. "Come on, you can catch some sleep in the room I've rented."
"One or two beds?" Villeta asked calmly, and the ever so slight sharpening of her voice was the only indication to Jeremiah that he was threading on thin ice.
"One. I won't be sleeping tonight, and there's a couch regardless." He answered without stopping for a moment. There it was again, that edge in his voice. She wasn't mistaken, as of seeing that portrait, Jeremiah had become as a man on a mission. She knew he had the deepest respect for her late highness Marianne vi Britannia, but she really would have to sit him down one of these days and have him retell the entire story. It was beginning to grow irritating, being in the dark.
"Oh, and I was contacted by an aide from Guilford's command group. Troops are being moved to Narita on Monday, our group included. We are to 'stick' around until they get here." Villeta stated finally, listening to a short, but content chuckle from her companion and guide. The conversation would wait until tomorrow.
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Boredom was such a common occurrence to C.C.. Thankfully, today had proven not to be one of the boring days, even with the last several hours spent on surveillance, it had been relatively interesting to her. Of course, it helped that she hadn't paid any attention to those they were supposed to follow, rather choosing to focus on the nice box of pizza she had, courtesy of Nunnally. Smart girl, coming up with an efficient bribe like that so quickly.
She wondered, as she watched her two partners work, was she even needed here? Lelouch and Nunnally were damn efficient together, and used to working so. Probably because Lelouch was blind for a while now, and Nunnally always had to help him. Why did they even bother with her? She was just a piece of the scenery to most, if they didn't covet the power she could offer. And yet, she couldn't quite put it why, but the two teens that moved before her, both waving a hand for her to follow seemed to care. Nunnally, had taken up to chatting with her whenever she was in the mood for that… which was always. Lelouch, while mostly quiet around her, had more than once told her that he was there to talk should she ever wanted.
But she couldn't. Secrets, knowledge… those were all she had left, and the two of them, even if they were willing to fulfill their part of the contract, were mortal, and would sooner or later, come to their senses and likely abandon her. Their time, no matter how much they did or did not care for her, would come and pass, and she would once more be left alone. And for some reason, since meeting the two of them, she feared it now more than ever.
"C.C., come on. We have to get moving." Nunnally ever so kindly called. And with a barely perceptible shrug, she did. She would have to leave this conundrum for later, right now she might as well enjoy the sight of the two siblings and their plots unfolding.
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Night had already fallen, and the last piece had just fallen into place, with a pair of those who worked at the facility coming out. Nunnally had thought this out carefully, and the best way to this was to capture the two with Lelouch's Geass and let them do the rest of the work.
Behind her, Lelouch followed silently, waiting for her to startle their two targets so that he could get his part of the job done.
Theatrically tripping right in front of the two men, Nunnally fell to the floor.
"Hey, are you alright?" one of the two workers asked her, crouching down next to her to help out.
"Owww… my leg…" she whimpered cutely. "Can you help me?"
"Yeah, sure. No problem." The young man responded.
"Sister!" came a shout from behind the two, and they turned just in time as Nunnally closed her eyes. They never even got the chance to react as the baleful eye of the Geass gazed into their own.
"Now..." Lelouch began commanding, the plot formed by his sister finally coming into play.
"You two sure like your theatrics, don't you?" C.C. idly noted from the side.
"It's more his thing than mine, but it's efficient." Nunnally responded from right next to her.
"Touché." The green-haired girl chuckled. "Still, isn't this supposed to be your plan?" she prodded a bit.
"It is. While you were munching on pizza I've told him everything I wanted to check, and he only made slight alterations. Besides, it seems to work better when he orders around, rather than giving others the option."
"Hm. You two really don't keep any secrets between you." C.C. muttered as Lelouch kept listening to the two Geass afflicted scientists with great interest. Both were slightly surprised at the constant look of complete and utter understanding on his face. Wasn't it supposed to be ridiculously complicated for a blind man to acquire vast scientific knowledge? Or was he simply faking it for his own entertainment? It was a question best left for later, though, as the conversation soon ended, and the two still slightly dazed scientists walked off around the corner to light their cigars.
"Well that was productive." Lelouch muttered contently. "I'd take my hat off, had I been wearing one, nicely plotted. I am glad to see that my lessons haven't been in vain. "he commended, the first one going to both while the second was aimed at Nunnally.
"Did you add the additional orders?" Nunnally asked, trying her best to keep herself calm. There were times when her brother's efficiency frightened her.
"What do you take me for? By this time tomorrow, CODE-R will likely cease to function entirely and no one will be able to link it to us. Once more, a well thought out strategy, though I sense that C.C. had her fingers in this…" he retorted, a smile twisting at his lips as the immortal merely stood silent, though Nunnally could see the faint hint of a smile on her lips.
"Let's just go and get some sleep." Nunnally whispered as the trio left into the night, leaving the warehouse area unseen. After all, apart for the CODE-R personnel, they had seen everyone else abandon the area, and the two guards had already been persuaded to forget they were ever there.
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Morning came decidedly too soon, or at least Villeta thought so. Still, waking up to the smell of hot coffee, only to find that Jeremiah hadn't indeed slept at all, was strangely sobering.
"Glad to see you up." He shortly, tiredly stated. "I've been looking through things the entire night." The man stated, pointing at the laptop he had been working on.
"Can this wait a few minutes? I kinda want to get a shower first, and something to eat."
"No rush. The bathroom's through that door. This place has a small restaurant as well." He said from the couch, pointing towards one of the two doors in the room, using the same hand to pick up his own mug of coffee afterward, one oddly marked with the insignia of the Britannian 55th armored division. Odder still, was why did he even bother to carry it with him? Yet another detail she didn't know about her former commander.
The bathroom was a western one, the ceramic tiles under her feet colored in a rather soothing dark blue. There was only a shower, but it was a comfortable one, from what she could tell, with already provided soap and shampoo, not to mention large, fluffy towels.
And the fact that there was hot water in there was a godsend.
Jeremiah focused on the last of the documents left for him to go through, most of them a mixture of reports, as well as a few interesting pieces of mail, such as from one Diethard Reid, who had recently lost his position due to his, choices, as they were. Most likely, he was a scapegoat, just like Suzaku Kururugi would have been… had a certain masked individual not intervened.
As much as it irritated him, Zero, he had to admit, was one carefully calculated bastard now that he sat down and analyzed everything. His name, and the name of his organization were direct insults to Britannia, the first in the form of a taunt at their 'number' system, and the second, against the institution of knighthood, and quite likely, against the Knights of the Round as well, if his memory of old Arthurian legends was correct. But he couldn't quite put everything together. Yet.
There were still questions that needed to be answered, but he was quite certain that at least some of those would be cleared up by the end of the day.
"Meh. We're out of coffee." He noted irately as he got up, putting on his coat over the shirt. He had heard the shower stop, and it was time to go and get something to eat. After an all-nighter, he would sure appreciate a good breakfast.
As he stretched his weary muscles, he was quickly joined by his dark-skinned friend, dressed up in her more conservative clothes.
"Breakfast?" he offered with a tired smile.
"Indeed." The woman responded as the two of them left the room with a chuckle.
The breakfast turned out to be a quiet affair for both of them. Jeremiah was still slightly tired from last night, and while Villeta was in a better shape than he, she also wasn't much of a morning person. Shower, breakfast and coffee first, conversation later.
"Jeremiah…" suddenly muttered, her eyes widening even as she almost dropped her fork.
"…what?" he asked, having finally swallowed. It was not a usual sight to see Villeta so flabbergasted, especially not this early in the morning.
"Turn around and look for yourself." She stated in a slightly shocked voice, barely keeping it from going loud.
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Lelouch wasn't having that much of a good morning either. In fact, he was the first to wake up, at his customary time of six in the morning, and by the time he had finished the light morning exercises he usually favored when there wasn't much space, he had taken a short, scalding hot shower. Finally, it was time to go and grab something to eat.
Putting on his clean set of clothes, he slowly walked out, remembering the description of the place that Nunnally had given him, all the while keeping his Geass active. He was proud to say, that he had managed to differentiate the vision from the ordering by now, though he was still cautious. Hidden beneath the dark sunglasses Nunnally had convinced him to wear while out of Tokyo, his left eye glowed with the light of the power of kings, using the steps of others to illuminate his way.
'What was is again? Five meters to the first turning to the left, then ten more straight to the restaurant.' He reminded himself as he walked on, and opened the door to the small restaurant. Immediately, the scent of fresh food struck his nose, and even with his impressive willpower, he was hard-pressed to contain the watering of his mouth.
By now, he had learned how to memorize the shapes of the faces and bodies of those he had encountered before, however, he was rather unpleasantly surprised when he recognized the two shapes before him.
'Aw crap.' He uncharacteristically mentally cursed as he recognized the shocked faces of Villeta Nu and Jeremiah Gottwald.
Author's notes: Yes, a surprisingly short chapter, but it was needed. This is a short break from the normal storyline, and finally, the staged encounter between the two groups. What will happen next I wonder, hmm?
As you may have noticed, Jeremiah hasn't descended into madness and obsession here, mostly because he had a friend who gave a damn about him in Villeta. And without that, the man is quite capable.
Also, the next chapter will be the end of this mini-arc, and from there, we continue with an important part of the original storyline.